My Golden Seeker
by BrutieBoots
Summary: Quidditch means the world to Darcy Simmons, but when the hurt and vengeful James Potter cuts her from the Gryffindor team, she realises one thing: if you can't join them, beat them. A Second Generation fanfiction
1. Chapter One

_Author's Note_: Just a warning that this is a second generation fanfiction, meaning the James Potter is James Sirius Potter/James Potter II, Harry's kid, not his father James Potter I. This is also set in James' final year, meaning it is Albus and Rose's 6th year, and Hugo and Lily's 4th. So this is just a warning to stop people from raging if that seems like a spoiler to the books, although the kids _are_ included in the movie so if you saw that, it won't be a spoiler even if you didn't read the books.

Also I'd like to thank EmodinosaurX3 for the characters she's contributed. ^^ Bah, this took me longer than expected to write because I am exhausted. BUT! I got my early entry into Pottermore. :D So I'm pleased.

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><p><strong><em>A Harry Potter Fanfiction <em>**

**_MY GOLDEN SEEKER_**

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

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><p><em>Chapter One<em>

"_That's it, we need to break up."_

Those seven words blurted out of my mouth in the heat of one of our usual arguments before my mind could even register them, but even after staring into his horrified expression and realising what I had said, I didn't take it back. I couldn't take it back because I knew I had meant it, I knew I would have to do it eventually; I had just hoped to do it in a more gentle manner. After all, we had been together for over a year and even if he was being an infuriating prick, it seemed like a gentle break-up would have been the right thing to do and I would have done it, if I didn't let my anger get the better of me. Unfortunately for me, James Potter let his vengeful fury get the better of him too.

We had been friends for half a decade by the time he stepped forward and asked me out, the better of our fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry spent exchanging lingering gazes, soft touches, and casually flirting. By the end of the year, I had opted to spend my summer at the Burrow, home to the gargantuan Weasley clan with the Potters visiting as well. My muggle mother was treated to a trip throughout America with my older brother–having only just turned sixteen, I couldn't go, my age making me unable to do over half the things they would in the foreign country–whilst the parents of the Potters and Weasleys departed to explore Europe, needing time to _reconnect _with their respective partners, leaving only Victoire Weasley and her boyfriend Teddy Lupin to watch over us–although they spent most of their times snogging each other's faces off.

I had arrived days after we had left school, excited to spend the entire summer with my friends, the closest of which were cousins Roxanne and Rose Weasley, despite the latter being a year young than me. I had spent my entire first morning practicing Quidditch with Rose's younger brother who would soon enter his third year at Hogwarts with high hopes of making the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I abandoned my friends who lay out in the summer sun to shower in the small bathroom adjoined to Roxanne's bedroom where I would be staying; knowing that such taxing amounts of exercise in the blistering heat did not exactly make you smell appealing.

Unbeknownst to me, the trio of Potter children were invited to stay, one in particular being coyly ordered to grab something from Roxanne's bedroom, which was tucked away in the attic, ensuring the pair of us had complete privacy. When I emerged from the bathroom, my curved figure covered only by a damp towel with my soaking golden tangles falling about my shoulders, I let out a piercing shriek, my heart thumping so violently that I feared I may just faint as I stared at the tall figure of James Potter searching about in the bedroom, unaware of my place in the loo.

His bright chocolate brown eyes widened in shock as he gazed upon my scantily clad figure, eyeing up every sliver of my sun-kissed skin that no one other than me had ever seen before. He shook his untidy mop of dark sienna brown hair out of his eyes, quickly looking away as he noticed my humiliated expression, my jaw hanging open in disbelief. Suddenly, the pair of us burst out laughing, the awkward situation quickly evaporating as we ended up lost in conversation–leading me to almost forget I was only wearing a towel–that lasted until the late evening, ending with us officially becoming a couple.

The rest of the summer was spent happily locked in one another's arms, sneaking off for a snogging fest, letting our hands rummage over the other's body. But when we returned to school for our sixth year, our happiness–or at least mine–was short-lived once James was reunited with his group of male friends including Gabriel Thomas and Cassair Finnigan, two boys I considered my friends as well. This meant a lot of my time spent with James was around the duo that formed his best friends, us forming a quartet of sixth year Gryffindors, something I was content with at first, although I did wish for time alone with my boyfriend.

It wasn't until Quidditch season began that the arguments did too, James becoming a different person whenever he was around his moronic buddies or the Quidditch players, most of which were men apart from Lily, Roxanne, and me. Whenever he was around them, my dreams of becoming a world renowned Quidditch player were all a joke, a ludicrous dream to mock as if a woman could never achieve such things. When we were alone he would boast about how I was the best Chaser on the team, my skills far surpassing most–if not all–of the other players, yet when we were in public, I would be mocked, even belittled relentlessly, James becoming a sexist pig in the process.

I wondered why he never subjected his cousin or little sister to such torment or why I never noticed it before, maybe it was all done in secret and now that I was around his imbecilic comrades all the time, I was exposed to it. Either way, I was so infuriated that by Christmas, our first major row happened. But with the holidays spent away from his friends, just him and I together most days without any interruptions, everything patched over quickly, thrusting us back into the honeymoon stage. I should have expected him not to change even after we had spent over an hour shouting back and forth about his behaviour, but I was a fool, hoping that my first boyfriend–Quidditch often preoccupying most of my time, preventing me from concentrating on men around me or becoming boy-crazed like many other girls my age–would be wonderful, faultless, a boy to remember.

Somewhere amongst the fiery arguments, strings of profanities–on my part–and countless days spent ignoring him, not to mention I had to practically hold myself back to stop me from ploughing my fist through his smug face, I knew our relationship would end soon. And it did, the first week back at Hogwarts for the start of our seventh year. I just couldn't handle the stress of him anymore with my N.E.W.T.s coming up and Quidditch scouts soon to drop by and observe matches, he was driving me up the wall and I was absolutely sick of it. That's why, in the midst of shouting and screaming at him for being such an arrogant pig, I ended it, my whole figure practically shaking with rage. He knew how much Quidditch meant to me, he knew it was my whole world and still is, yet he treated it like something I might as well abandon, having no hope of success. I couldn't be with someone like that, _I _deserved better.

And that incident is how I got here, walking into the Great Hall all alone, dressed in my Gryffindor uniform with my light hair pulled back loosely, stray strands falling free to frame my face along with my side-swept bangs. I reluctantly sit myself with the second years, who are chattering away incessantly, but they are more tolerable than first years that I'd probably end up hexing into oblivion if I sat with them. I prop my elbow up onto the table, resting my jaw on my fist as I move food about my plate with a fork in disinterest, feeling far too deflated to bother eating.

As I glance about the Gryffindor table, I can see the seventh years on the far end along with the younger members of the Potter and Weasley families, all of them freezing me out completely as James had done, opting to choose his side rather than remain impartial–the latter of which I had wanted them to do, this was between James and me, not them. It has been over a week since our break-up, but in that time, his friends and family have only spoken to me when absolutely necessary such as in class or our dorms, but even then the sentences are short and curt, the conversations ending seconds after they have begun. All I felt in those passing days and at this very moment was betrayed, alone, hurt, no one would even give me the decency of listening to my side of why we broke up, I was just automatically pronounced the bad guy as not only is blood was thicker than water, but his best friends lack enough of a spine to make their own decisions.

Suddenly, James catches my gaze, returning it with a cold glare as he mutters something to Gabriel and Cassair before smirking mischievously. I feel my eyes widen as he beckons for me to come over, his smirk only growing as he notices my disbelief. I quickly return my stare to my food, reluctantly shovelling it into my mouth, knowing that I would regret not eating when classes began and I would be running on empty.

"Hey," A girlish voice interrupts me as I gulp down my mouthful of food before taking a sip of my orange juice, glancing at the second year speaker. "You dated James Potter, right?"

I bob my head into a nod, leading her to squeal with delight, her auburn curls bouncing about her elbows as she frantically turns to her friends and informs them of her discovery. They join in with her aggravating squealing as I feel a frown spread across my lips, my eyes narrowing into a murderous glare.

"I may have dated James Potter, but I rue the day I ever met that pathetic, arrogant, pig-headed moron," I hiss venomously, drawing my wand from my cloaks as a demonic grin spread across my lips. "And if you little girls do not shut your little mouths right now, I _will_ make sure you rue the day you ever spoke a single word to me."

The girls stare at me wide-eyed, fear spreading across their features as I half-expect them to faint on the spot or wet themselves the longer they stare at me. They quickly bow their heads, not daring to look me in the eye as I return to playing with my food, my grin dropping, my face regaining its neutral expression of disinterest. Well, at least _that _was entertaining, maybe sitting with the second years wasn't such a bad idea if I can make little make them quiver in their boots at the mere sight of me, plus it stops them from annoying me anymore. I can't help but be pleased with myself as I devour the remains of my scrambled eggs, lucky that I have Quidditch to burn off all of the food I consume or else I might just be the size of a beach ball, seeing as I've spent the better of my seventeen years of life surrounded by teenage boys who practically eat their body weight in food a day.

"E-e-e-excuse me," The second year stutters as I arch my eyebrows, surprised that she's pushing her luck by speaking to me once again until she points a stubby finger passed me. "H-h-he is h-h-h-here..."

I whip around to be greeted by a trio of figures I can easily recognise as James and his two closest companions. Cassair is the shortest of the three, but still stands tall, his uniform left askew with his tie loosened around his neck, his shirt not tucked into the brim of his slacks, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his fair-skinned forearms. Wispy sandy-coloured hair clings to the nape of his neck, loose bangs cascading over his face, falling into his hazel eyes, a feature of his that I have grown used to girls deeming _sexy_. His lips are pulled into a knowing smirk, his arms folded over his chest, the silver ring slipped onto one of his fingers glinting in the candlelight, a green shamrock-shaped gem held in the centre to reveal his Irish heritage.

Gabriel doesn't look as pleased as the other pair, standing the tallest out of them, although only an inch or two taller than James at the most, his athletic figure dressed in a flawless uniform that contrasts Cassair's. His ebony curls fell about his face, cropped in a short cut due to his unruly curls, skimming just above where his almond-shaped eyes sat, their colour mirroring his dark chocolate-coloured skin tone.

"What do you imbeciles want?" I snap in irritation, wanting nothing more than to smack the smug smirks off of James and Cassair's faces.

"I see Simmons has her panties in a knot." Cassair teases with a chuckle as I shoot him a glare.

"You're going to want to hear this," James intercepts before I can snap a profane remark at his friend. "Quidditch team trials start after the weekend."

"Let's see, I've gone to this school for years and been on the Quidditch team for almost all of them," I mock in a faux imbecilic tone. "But I must say I am amazed to know that these trials you speak of will be on the _same _day they have been for all those years."

"You're utterly hilarious, that's clearly why you have _so_ many friends here with you," He snarls, narrowing his eyes at me as his smirk grows. "I just wanted to tell you that there's no point in turning up. You're off the team and I don't fancy your chances of ever getting back on it. And I'd trust my opinion; I _am _the Captain after all."

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><p>I stomp into Charms–a class I share with Ravenclaw seventh years who find Charms far more interesting than most Gryffindors–my arms folded tightly over my chest, my eyebrows knitted together over my eyes which are set into a hard, stone-cold glare. I climb into a desk, not a single student daring to sit next to me or even glance my way for fear of being caught in the crossfire of one of my infamous foul moods. I don't just hate James Potter; I <em>despise <em>him, my hands itching to wring his neck. I feel no regret for what I did to him for he _deserved _it, the absolute pig.

How _dare _he remove me from the Gryffindor team? How _dare _he let personal matters get in the way of Quidditch? How _dare _he abuse his position as Captain? How _dare _he even breathe the same air as us decent human beings?

I am so caught up in my loathing thoughts for my ex that I don't notice the figure reluctantly sit down next to me, running his hands through his dark curls, sighing deeply to interrupt my thoughts. I shift my glare to Gabriel, a snarl spreading across my lips as I am preparing to drive my fist through his face if he dares taunt me with the position I am in.

"Aren't you afraid someone might see you with me and report it to your master?" I sneer.

"James is one of my best friends, Darcy," He protests. "I may not like it, but he's hurt and I need to stick up for him and comfort him."

"I'd think you would at least be smart enough to make up your own opinions on people, especially someone you've spent over a year being friends with," I challenge, slouching in my chair as I redirect my glare to the front of the class as the professor begins his lecture. "There are two sides to every story, Gabriel. And just so you know, you _can _comfort him without being a complete arsehole."

"I haven't done anything, I just–"

"You haven't done anything?" I repeat incredulously before rolling my eyes. "You're right; you did _nothing_, that's the problem. You and Cassair just stood by as James threw me off the team. Everyone knows how much Quidditch means to me, how is any team going to accept me if I didn't even play it in my final year at school? If I've gone a year without practice? If the scouts come and don't see even a snippet of my abilities? Yeah, you haven't done anything except let James jeopardise my future like the absolute prick he is."

"Darcy, he will take back what he said soon enough. This won't last, he'll realise that that was too far and take it back."

"Now you're just being delusional," I lower my voice, trying to appear as if I am taking notes on the lecture. "You and I _both _know James is a stubborn, arrogant pig and will _never _go back on his decision, he can barely admit he's wrong about the flavour of one of Bertie Bott's jelly beans. I just hope that this year, someone puts him in his place, someone beats that bastard where he thinks he is the greatest, the Quidditch field."

With that, I turned away from Gabriel, ducking my head to catch up on the lecture, sitting on an angle so that I don't even have to glance at the boy sitting beside me. And that's when it hit me; letting me know exactly what I had to do about this, after all, if you can't join them, beat them.


	2. Chapter Two

_Author's Note: _Crud. I forgot to say last time thanks to EmodinosaurX3 for help with figuring out why Darcy and James Potter broke up. I forgot because I wasn't planning on revealing why until this chapter. Oh well. xD But yes. Many thanks to her. Also, as you can see, I have a headmistress I use for all second generation fanfictions set after 2009–as that was when McGonagall retired–just because it seems easier that way. XD

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><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

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><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

"I would like to join the Quidditch team of another house," I repeat myself after I finish retelling the story of my banishment from the Gryffindor team, Headmistress Quackenbush listening intently the entire time. "Or at least, I'd like the chance to attend the team trials for another house."

Headmistress Quackenbush is tall, far taller than my below average height form with a slender figure draped in extravagant robes of shades of royal blue, matching her large sapphire-coloured eyes that twinkle with wisdom. Her silver hair falls is tied up in a bundle of curls and despite her elderly appearance, many have to admit she is quite a beautiful witch, more so well-aged than hideously wrinkled.

"Are you sure you do not wish to attend the trials for Gryffindor, Miss Simmons?" She asks gently as she leans forward with a look of interest on her pallid face, her forearms resting on the desk with her fingers laced together.

"It's not a case of not wanting to attend, it's a case of attending being completely futile as I have essentially been thrown off of the team," I correct her. "I know that we all say 'just because you were on the team last year, doesn't mean you will be again this year', but that's not the case here. I've been on it for years and I'm a brilliant Chaser, I train as hard as the rest of the team or even harder than someone of them so the only reason I wouldn't get a case is because of James Potter."

"Well, I am afraid to say it is Mister Potter's right as Captain to select who can and cannot be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team," She admits as I feel my shoulders slump forward, a sigh of defeat escaping through my lips, moments away from giving up on my elaborate plan before I hear her words continue. "But, you are a truly talented young woman and it would be wrong to deny you the chance to achieve your dreams. I will permit you to attend the team trials of another house, _if _you have the consent of the head of house and the team Captain. As the Gryffindor head of house and Hogwarts headmistress, you already have my consent."

I resist the urge to leap across the desk and envelope the headmistress in a tight hug of gratitude, a toothy grin spreading across my face as my whole demeanour brightens up.

"That's brilliant, thank you so much, Headmistress." I beam as she chuckles lightly, a smile of her own forming on her thin lips.

"But before you return to class, I would like to ask you one thing," She halts me before I can climb to my feet, her question making me sink back into my chair sheepishly. "What house do you plan on joining? I would me more than happy to contact the head of it immediately."

"I'm hoping to join the Ravenclaw house," I explain, my smile shrinking but not vanishing. "The head is my Advanced Charms professor and from what I've seen in matches, the house is rather talented at Quidditch. More importantly though, Christopher Corner has been on the team for years, but was injured over the summer and cannot play this year, leaving his position empty for anyone to fill."

"Do you know what position he played?"

"Yes, I remember seeing him as Chaser." I reply with a nod as she narrows her eyes at me cautiously.

"Very well then, I will contact Professor Flitwick immediately," She says softly, a knowing look in her eyes as she nods towards the door. "You had better return to class, Miss Simmons, I just hope you will push to achieve your dreams, no matter what obstacles you must overcome, if Quidditch means that much to you, it will be worth it."

I bid her farewell along with thanking her again for her assistance and support before scurrying out of the room, well-aware that Advanced Potions had started already. I cannot help but grin with delight as I enter the potions room, Professor Slughorn's comments on my late arrival not phasing my joy in the slightest as I quickly catch up with the class. All I want now is to speed through my class and find the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain during dinner, Emmett Boot.

Luckily for me, the day seems to fly by, my classes consisting of lectures rather than practical work, meaning I can just nuzzle myself in the corner and bury myself into my notes. Not even the presence of James Potter himself in my Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts classes can interrupt my joyous mood; especially as every smug smirk of his simply makes me more excited to join a rivalling team.

Before I know it, I am making my way into the Great Hall with a horde of Gryffindor students of all ages, lingering towards the back of the crowd where the dawdling younger years are, well-aware that any attempt to sit with my fellow seventh years will be thwarted as soon as I get within a few metres of them. But, that doesn't even bother me at the moment as I take my seat amongst the second years whose lips are zipped tightly shut whenever they glance my way, only speaking to one another in hushed whispers for fear of irritating me. My mind is elsewhere however as I nibble on a sliver of roasted chicken, my eyes scanning over the Ravenclaw table in search of a familiar face that I had spent years opposing on the Quidditch pitch.

Finally I found him sitting at the far end of the table, surrounded by the avid Quidditch players of his house who were chatting amongst themselves, the group occasionally breaking out into bursts of laughter at what one of them had said. Emmett Boot is tall, even from afar I can tell he towers over me, with a chiselled, brawny form that is no doubt perfect for Quidditch, particularly the position he fills as a Beater. His elbow is propped up on the table, resting his jaw in his hand as he listens to those about him ramble away, fringes of his dark brown tangles falling over his face that even I will admit is handsome. His brilliant bright blue eyes are narrowed as he appears to be concentrating on his thoughts rather than those about him.

I feel like groaning at the idea of going over there and asking Emmett for permission to join his Quidditch team, but if it gets me to play the game I love, I'd have to swallow my pride and go over there. Before I can delay my approach any longer, I notice an incredibly short figure scrambling towards the table from where he sat alongside Headmistress Quackenbush. His ivory hair falls about his shoulders in unruly curls, matching the beard he sports whilst his recognisably short, part Goblin form is covered by dark emerald green robes.

I glance from the headmistress to my incredibly old Charms professor as he makes his way towards Emmett, Headmistress Quackenbush watching the scene intently. I find myself laying my cutlery down on my plate and climbing to my feet, figuring I might as well join the pair seeing as the conversation about to ensue between the seventh year Ravenclaw and his head of house will no doubt be about me and my request. I ignored the baffled gazes of onlookers as I marched towards the table belonging to the foreign house, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by unwelcoming frowns as I reach Emmett as soon as Professor Flitwick does.

"Miss Simmons," He leaps back with a startle at my sudden appearance before smiling kindly. "I was hoping to speak to you this evening as well."

I grin back at him, trying to contain the nerves that are fluttering inside of me as part of me hopes my position as a well-versed Charms student will secure me Flitwick's approval. He clears his throat, stretching up his arm, barely able to reach Emmett's shoulder to tap it, causing him to swirl around in confusion, his eyebrows arched eye over his widened eyes.

"Professor Flitwick, why are–" His eyes dart towards me as I fold my arms over my chest, my grin dropping. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be over there?"

He points a finger towards the Gryffindor table, more precisely where James sits, chuckling away with his friends. I frown, shaking my head as I unravel my arms, letting them hang freely at my sides.

"Actually, I need to talk to you and Professor Flitwick." I force a smile onto my lips along with a kind tone into my voice, hoping a more gentle approach might butter him up enough to at least consider the idea of accepting me onto his team.

"I have already spoken to the headmistress. Everything has been cleared with me and I would be more than happy to welcome you to our team," Flitwick corrects me, my smile suddenly becoming natural and wide as I brush off Emmett's puzzled expression, clearly confused–and irked–by me being there. "It now depends on what Mister Boot says."

"What I say about _what _exactly?" He speaks up, glancing from me to the miniscule professor who happens to be one of the few people in the whole school that actually makes _me _feel tall.

"What you say about me joining the Ravenclaw Quidditch team." I admit, noticing Flitwick staring up at me, wanting me to tell the boy rather than him.

"You want to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team? Okay, I can think of one detail that might disrupt your plan, you're a Gryffindor." He snaps with a roll of his eyes, clearly feeling that I'm wasting his time.

"I've been banned from the Gryffindor team," I lower my voice, hoping no one is overhearing our conversation. "Not because I have done anything wrong, but because James Potter is an arrogant, sexist imbecile."

"I always thought Potter would play favourites, at least with his own girlfriend." I curled my hands into fists, baring my teeth at his words.

"I am _not _his girlfriend." I snarled lividly, both Professor Flitwick and Emmett staring at me, taken aback by my outburst.

I gulp, regaining my composure, relaxing my muscles as I inhale and exhale deeply. Overreacting was definitely not the best thing to do at the moment, especially since I'm trying to prod Emmett into doing what I want.

"Miss Simmons' situation is a complicated one, she is a talented young woman and deserves at least the chance to show her abilities," Professor Flitwick defends me in a stern voice that immediately commands the attention of both of us. "For that reason, she has been given the approval to attend the Ravenclaw team trials by both the headmistress and I."

"Then where do I come in to all of this?" Emmett enquires sceptically with an arch of one of his eyebrows.

"Well, no matter what the headmistress or I say, you _are _the Quidditch Captain and it is _your _team, thus you have the right to decide who joins it," He explains before glancing up at Emmett, his words laying a layer of guilt over his pupil. "I had hoped you would be mature enough to accept Miss Simmons to at least the Quidditch team trials, there is no harm in letting her try."

Emmett purses his lips together, his eyebrows knitting as he muses over the offer as I resist the urge to grin at Flitwick's tactics, the boy now not wanting to disappoint his head of house by refusing me entry to the team trials. I felt my heart thump violently against my chest, its speed increasing anxiously with every passing second as I awaited his response, wishing I possessed the skill of legilimency so that I could sway his mind towards agreeing with Flitwick and Headmistress Quackenbush.

"Okay," Emmett sighs in defeat, glancing up at me, his expression neutral as he speaks. "I'll give you a chance. Team trials will be an hour before Gryffindor's are on Monday."

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><p>I cannot bite back the triumphant grin spreading across my lips as I enter the Gryffindor common room after muttering the password to the portrait of a morbidly obese lady that guards entrance. A circular common room opens up before me as I emerge from the passageway, a large fireplace dominating the opposite wall with plush armchairs dotted around it, students lounging in them lazily. Scarlet tapestries hang from the walls depicting various witches, wizards, and mystical creatures whilst two doors sit on the far end of the room, leading to staircases to the separated male and female dormitories.<p>

All I want to do is run up to my dorm and collapse into grins at the success of my venture, barely able to contain my excitement on the walk up the Gryffindor Tower. But before I can vanish out of the student-filled room to somewhere more secluded, a sneering voice paralyses my movements as I feel my eyes narrow into an irritated glare.

"I noticed you paid the Ravenclaws a visit earlier," James pipes, his eyes not moving from the flickering fireplace as he leans into his armchair. "Scavenging for friends I take it? It's too bad everyone know you're a complete bitch."

"Last time I checked, I never asked for your opinion, Potter," I snap back with a roll of my eyes. "Nor is what I do any of your business."

"Struck a nerve, have I?"

"I wish lightening would strike you," I mutter before turning to face him, noticing his many relatives lounging about the common room with him, watching our disagreement silently. "And you are just an irritant. If people are too small-minded to make up their own opinions and instead have to leech off of your idiotic ones, they aren't worth my time."

I glance at the bulletin board sitting just behind James, scanning the large slab of parchment pinned onto it, announcing the Quidditch team trials before a smirk spreads across my lips.

"As for what I was doing at the Ravenclaw table, you will find out soon enough."

With that, I sweep out of the common room, knowing I have nothing else to say especially as I will need to keep my mind focused for the team trials, no thinking of James, no thinking of my lost friends, nothing of the sort. Quidditch will have to be the only thing on my mind. When I vanish into my dorm, I immediately strip down, replacing my uniform with make-shift pyjamas consisting of a pair of shorts and an oversized shirt before crawling into bed. Once settled under my duvet, I retrieve a book from the bedside table, its binding tattered and frail, displaying its old age. I don't bother worrying about if my roommates might walk in on me and my dearest possession–or one of them at least–as I know they will spend as much time in the common room as possible, our dorm being an incredibly awkward place at the moment with all the hatred heading my way.

I peel back the cover of the book, glancing over the animated photographs of a wizard and the normal, muggle photographs of a woman, both from infancy to adulthood where my brother and I begin to appear. The man in the photographs is my late father, Ross Simmons, a famed Quidditch Chaser for Puddlemere United, starting his career as soon as he left Hogwarts making him one of the youngest out there. And after his untimely death when I was seven, it has been his footsteps that my older brother and I have followed whilst my mother struggled to raise two wizarding children as a single muggle parent. I remind myself that _this_, my family, my father, is my motivation and that failure is _not _even an option, I have to make the Ravenclaw team.


	3. Chapter Three

_Author's Note: _I had actually meant to finish and post this yesterday, but I got distracted by a small piece I was writing in relation to a joke between my friend and I. xD It amused me greatly. But here we go, chapter three.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

I glance at myself in the mirror, wanting to make a good impression on all levels with Ravenclaw Quidditch team try-outs to begin in mere minutes. My golden blonde tangles are tied back with several choppy layers falling free to frame my pallid face along with my slanted bangs which sweep above my large, chocolate brown eyes. My button nose has a sprinkling of freckles upon it and my plump, pallid lips are pursed into a straight line as I try to maintain a neutral expression on my fair visage to hide my anxiety. My curved figure is dressed in the standard Quidditch equipment including an azure blue and bronze coloured Ravenclaw Quidditch uniform with a cape tumbling down my back, my hands slipped into gloves, and my shins and arms protected by guards.

I nod at my reflection in approval, feeling pleased that the uniform Professor Flitwick had allocated to me for try-outs fits well. With that, I dart out of the room, the corridors of the castle empty as most other students are at dinner still. I, on the other hand, I had quickly eaten all I could given my nervous state before darting off to dress myself for the team trials, leading to where I am now, walking towards the Quidditch pitch where several similarly dressed students stand, awaiting commands from the captain.

I reluctantly stand with the students who buzz with whispers, feeling like I am standing out like a sore thumb, easily recognised as an outsider despite my Ravenclaw robes. As I take my place towards the front of the crowd, I brush off the curious stares, resisting the urge to shoot everyone a murderous glare. But before I can lose myself in my thoughts as I try to calm my nerves, a figure appears beside me, clearing her throat to gain my attention.

I glance to my side with arched eyebrows, the girl is short, even shorter than me, yet curves are visible through her uniform forming an hourglass figure. Her long, ebony hair is tied back in a messy bun, revealing the numerous studs and hoops aligning her hears, with side-swept bangs skimming above her almond-shaped, darkly coloured eyes which are framed by long glossy lashes, making them look wider than they are. Her well-shaped lips form a wide, excited smile at me and along with her sun-kissed skin tone; I can recognise her as the Filipino Chaser for the Ravenclaw team that I had rivalled in the past, Manuela Legaspi.

"Your name is Darcy, right?" She asks in a warm tone, clearly not mirroring the shock of the other Ravenclaws. "I heard you talking to Emmett the other day about joining our team."

"Yeah, Darcy Simmons and you are Manuela Legaspi, a Chaser, correct? And well, I'm hoping I'll join the team." I reply, trying to be modest and fulfil the good impression I am hoping to make.

"You can call me Manny," She beams, clearly displaying her bubbly personality to me. "And good luck, it looks like we have a whole new flood of people at try-outs now that Chris is injured."

"I guess it leaves a position completely open for the taking." I say with an awkward chuckle, realising I fit into that flood of people.

"True, so if you don't mind me asking, why are you trying out for our team and not yours?" Her question sounds more inquisitive than defensive and I am almost shocked by this myself, expecting her to treat me like an intruder as many other Ravenclaws are.

Instead she is standing here and having a pleasant conversation with me, taking genuine interest in what is going on with an authentic smile on her lips. For the first time in weeks since what happened with James and me, I feel like I have a friend, or at least someone to comfortably speak to.

"Well, I was essentially thrown off of the Gryffindor team and told even if I tried out, I wouldn't make it back on," I begin before elaborating as I notice her baffled expression. "No, no, no, I wasn't thrown off for doing anything wrong, in fact what I did was probably the best thing I had done in a year. As I'm sure most, if not all, of the school knows, I _was _dating James Potter and when I broke up with that arrogant, sexist bastard, he threw me off the team, claiming it was his 'right as captain'."

I notice my arms are folded over my chest and my lips are forming a snarl at the mere thought of James from retelling my story which Manny has politely listened to with curious eyes. Her gaze quickly becomes a glare of disapproval, her joyful outgoing aura now degrading into one of irritation at my words.

"What an arse," She snaps exactly what I am thinking about him. "I always knew Potter was a conceited prick, but I never thought he'd be such a horrible Quidditch captain and a horrible boyfriend no doubt."

I bob my head into a nod, agreeing with her suspicions as a smile spreads across my lips. I am so happy that I have finally found someone willing to listen to _my _side of the story, let alone agree with it, that I almost don't notice the tall, dark-haired boy walk by us, greeting Manny with a soft hello before staring at me with a confused gaze. I glance at him and end up mirroring his stare, my eyes practically the size of dinner plates in disbelief as the handsome boy I recognise as Christopher Corner stands before me. He shakes his head, shrugging before departing to join a rowdy group of boys to discuss Quidditch team trials.

"I... I thought Christopher Corner was injured..." I blurt eventually, pointing towards him as Manny follows my glance before shaking her head with a chuckle.

"That's not Chris, that's Rich Davies. He's a Chaser and has been on the team for years," Manny explains before pointing out another boy from the crowd who is shorter with a slim form than the dark-haired one I had mistaken for Christopher Corner. "And that is Anton Clearwater; he was Chaser last year and the reserve Chaser the year before."

"So he's likely to be Chaser again this year," I finish the thought for her before my eyes widen once again. "Wait, if that's not Christopher Corner and all of the Chasers have been accounted for, then what position does Corner play?"

"He was our seeker," She states with a grin. "And a bloody good one at that."

"Shit!" I exclaim furiously, wanting nothing more than to punch myself in the face for forgetting such an important detail.

Before Manny can quiz me for an explanation as to my sudden mood change and profanity, Emmett's voice booms through the pitch, commanding our attention as silence falls. He holds his Beater equipment in his hands, a broom in one and a bat in the other as he instructs us, a boy matching him in height standing at his side. His skin is fair with contrasting loose black curls framing his handsome face, a few stray strands falling into his dazzling grey eyes which inspect the crowd, a coy smirk on his lips. He too holds Beater equipment, his chiselled figure dressed in a uniform that matched all of ours.

"Welcome to team trials, now remember, just because you were on the team last year, doesn't mean you will be this year," Emmett announces as I am far too shocked at my ignorance to point out the clear lie. "Now I will be shifting you through positions today to see what you suit best, but obviously what we are looking for is a new Seeker and new reserves just in case another injury occurs."

"But we _all _know you are after Chris' open position," The boy beside him pipes with a cheeky grin as he scolds us playfully. "You sneaky kids."

"Ignore Jude," Emmett rolls his eyes at the boy beside him apparently called _Jude_. "Obviously it'll take a while to get all of you to try the position of Seeker, so could all of you line up to the left in alphabetical order by last name and we'll go from there. Then we'll switch positions around accordingly so that everyone can have a chance to be considered for Seeker."

As everyone lines up, Manny moves towards Emmett with a grin on her lips and I follow, struggling to figure out how on earth I am going to convince him to consider me as a Chaser when he already has three from last year. There was no way I am going to be a reserve Chaser, that's practically as bad as not being on the team unless I purposely injure one of the Chasers, which I am seriously considering should worst come to worst.

"Ready for try-outs, Emmy?" Manny teases with a flirtatious giggle as she reaches Emmett's side, his tall height making her appear even shorter by comparison.

"I have a pretty good idea of who will get on the team already." Emmett mutters, rolling his eyes at the playful nickname before shrugging his broad shoulders with his gaze on the crowd of students slowly forming a line.

"I see the Gryffindor girl turned up." Jude adds, nudging Emmett and gesturing towards me as I approach them soon after Manny.

"Shouldn't you be lining up?" Emmett grunts at me as he glances my way with a deadpan expression. "Ignoring my orders isn't exactly making a good impression on me."

"I just wanted to let you know that I play Chaser, not Seeker," I state, practically having to bite my tongue to stop myself from snapping at him for his rude tone. "And I hope you'll consider me for the position."

He bends down to my eye level, a smirk forming on his lips as he arches an eyebrow at me.

"You and I both know I already have three perfectly good Chasers in mind," He whispers, referring to Manny and the two boys she had described. "Unless you want to be a reserve–"

"Being a reserve is practically as bad as not playing Quidditch at all," I interrupt, mimicking his words. "You and I both know you'd never put me on if I were a reserve unless a Chaser broke every limb."

"Then you'd better get back in line," He chimes as I feel an urge to deck him right in between his brilliant blue eyes, wondering if I can break his straight nose or not. "The longer you stay here wasting my time, the more your chances of being on the team dwindle away."

"Now you're just being a twat," I admit, narrowing my eyes into a glare, accepting that my good first impression has gone down the loo already, so I might as well say what I am thinking. "I am a bloody brilliant Chaser and you'd be as much as an idiot as Potter if you exclude me from the team."

"Would I now?" He chuckles with amusement as Manny and Jude watch the exchange between us silently. "If you are such a brilliant Chaser, then Seeker should be a breeze for you. It is a fast position, just as Chaser, and the best position for light weight Quidditch players, which I'm sure a little girl like you is."

"I am not a little girl and if I call me one again, I'll make _you _into a little girl," I hiss, jerking my knee forward as if to damage his crotch before he jolts back, avoiding collision. "Consider that a warning."

"Look, Simmons, try out for Seeker or leave," He snarls impatiently, a frown pulling at the edges of his lips. "I don't care either way, so get in line or stop wasting my time."

* * *

><p>I feel like collapsing into the crisp emerald grass as the team trials come to an end with me finishing my session, having been allocated the final slot by Emmett no doubt to spite me for my insults earlier. I lower my broom, my legs nearly buckling beneath me in exhaustion as I climb off of it, my chest heaving with my quickened heart beating so violently I fear I may have a heart attack. I feel like I am going to throw up, hyperventilate, and faint all at the same time as I could feel my face become bright red with beads of sweat trickling down the sides. My arms fall limp at my sides when I grab hold of my broom as it drops from its position in the air, my head spinning into vertigo as I struggle to keep myself upright.<p>

I am absolutely exhausted, more so than I have ever been in my entire life, having pushed myself as hard as I could. I had flown as fast as I could during the trials, speeding passed every other student whilst sleekly weaving in between stalls, keeping my eyes focused on the practice Golden Snitch that raced about the arena. I haven't quite mastered one-handed–or no-handed for that matter–flying, but I am better than some of the other students standing around me, waiting for Emmett to stop deliberating with Manny and Jude and announce the positions. Part of me hopes my determination and skill will persuade Emmett to place me as a Chaser, but the other part–which seems to be based in logic, not fantasy–reminds me that he already has his Chasers chosen; he probably even has his reserve Chasers chosen.

At the thought, I want to slam my head into a brick wall for my stupidity, for not realising who Chris Corner really is. This situation is honestly just my luck, I'm almost surprised I didn't see it coming seeing as my life over the last year seems to have been one giant crap-fest. I slump my shoulders, cursing fate for what is happening whilst still trying to catch my breath and calm adrenaline-filled my body. Before I can bury my face in my hands and moan about my horrifically bad luck, the trio disperse, turning to face us as Emmett clears his throat loudly.

"It looks like all positions have been decided," He announces, a clipboard in his hand with the list of allocated positions everyone is dying to learn scribbled on it. "Usually we would wait a few days to announce who has made the team, but with Chris injured, we want to begin practice as soon as possible for our first game on November 1st."

"And just remember not to be discouraged if you didn't make the team this year or if you make reserve," Manny pipes from his side, her apparently trademark practically infectious grin on her lips. "Please still come back next year and try-out again. Especially seeing as a lot of positions will be open for the filling."

I roll my eyes, starting to becoming annoyed with how much of an afterschool special this is becoming whilst resisting the urge to blurt out my impatient aggravation and demand Emmett tell us the results. As if reading my mind, Emmett speaks up again, his stern gaze dropping from the crowd of students–which includes me–to the clipboard as he talks.

"Thank you, Manny, she is right. But I won't delay the results any longer as I'm sure many of you are eager to know where you stand with the team." He begins announcing off roles beginning with Jude and himself as Beaters followed by their reserves.

My ears only perk up with interest when he finishes announcing the Chaser reserves and moves onto the actual positions, a knowing smirk on his lips as he glances at the crowd as if looking for me, well-aware that I am waiting anxiously for the result.

"Our Chasers will be Manuela Legaspi, Richard Davies, and Anton Clearwater," His smirk just widens as my jaw drops, shock overwhelming my body even though I did expect such a result. "Finally onto the position of Seeker, our reserve Seeker will be Darcy Simmons..."

My head snaps up, my eyes so wide I fear they may be stuck that way as I cannot even hear him announcing the actual Seeker, far too stunned by the fact that I have been chosen as reserve. And by the looks of it, Manny and Jude are just as astonished as I am, staring at him with disbelieving expression which I'm not sure if I should take as an insult or not. As Emmett dismisses everyone, telling them to await the announcement of our first practice session, I storm towards him, preparing to shout a long string of profanities his way before rearranging his attractive face.

"That's not the best idea," A masculine voice stops me as the speaker's hand curls around my arm, spinning me to face him. "He'll drop you from the team completely if you do what you're thinking."

I recognise him as Jude, although his playful smirk from earlier is gone, replaced in a firm expression that almost appears foreign on his soft features. Manny stands beside him, her tiny arms crossed over her relatively developed chest whilst her lips are curled into a pout.

"He might as well drop me from the team," I growl, tearing my arm free of his grasp. "I'll never play as a reserve so it's basically the same."

"Look, Darcy, we're trying to help you," Manny states before sheepishly glancing at Emmett as he makes his way from the pitch. "And if Emmett knew what we are trying to do, he wouldn't be happy."

"How are you going to help me at all unless it involves giving me a punching bag with that twat's face on it?"

"We'll explain later, you're in our Advanced Charms class right?" I nod with an arched eyebrow as Manny smiles softly and continues. "Great, come sit with Ju-Ju and I tomorrow and we'll explain everything."


	4. Chapter Four

_Author's Note: _I feel like I've been gone for ages. xD But I'm here now so it's okay, finally able to stay awake during daylight hours because I've stopped taking codeine for the pain after surgery and now take paracetamol.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Four<em>

The next day, I feel butterflies anxiously flutter through my stomach as lunch nears its end, only a short break following the meal separating me from double Charms. I glance down at my plate of half-eaten food, a golden brown fish fillet lain across one side with the other crowded by a helping of emerald peas and sizzling chips. I drop my fork and frown, far too nervous to finish my meal despite the delectable smell that lifts off of it, flooding my nostrils alluringly.

After taking a sip from my goblet, I glance towards the Ravenclaw table as for the first time since the beginning of school, my fellow Gryffindors are not on my mind. Not only I am far too curious as to why Manny Legaspi and Jude Edgecombe-Flint want me to join them for Charms to pay the Potter and Weasley clans any attention, but I know that if I do, all I will be met with is furious glares. As I search the Ravenclaw table for the duo, my eyes rest upon the brawny figure of Emmett Boot before narrowing into a sour glare. My hands subconsciously curl into such tight fists that my nails dig deeply into my palms as I want nothing more than to punch that bastard in the face.

As I assure myself that he is going to regret the day he made me reserve Seeker, I recognise Manny sitting nuzzled into his side, her dainty hands resting on his toned arm as they chat to one another. Even from this far away, I can see the flirtatious giggle she emits as he talks, her plump lips forming a charming smile as she bats her long lashes alluringly over her dark chocolate orbs which never leave Emmett's features, not for a single second. The longer I watch the bubbly Filipino flirt with my arch enemy–as of yesterday–the more confused I become over what her and his best friend told me at try-outs.

_Why _do they want to help me if they are Emmett's friends or perhaps more in Manny's case? Not to mention _how_ the hell are they going to help me with this situation regardless of who they are? As these questions along with many others swarm my mind, I almost don't notice everyone around me standing up, eager to begin their break now that lunch has come to an end. All the leftovers dotted along the four house tables vanish, including my own, as most students move out of the Great Hall, only a few remaining to attend Divination Workshop that begins a few minutes after lunch ends.

After snatching my Charms books and work from my dorm, I retreat to the Gryffindor common room to settle myself into one of the plush armchairs before quietly reviewing over my notes from last lesson. Unfortunately, my peace doesn't last very long as a trio of boys burst through into the common room and as their snorts of laughter brush over my, I recognise who they are without even glancing up at them. As they collapse into the chairs that rim the fireplace across the room from me, I gather up my materials, praying that I can make it out of the room without James and his partners in crime noticing me. But before I can even climb to my feet, their obnoxious laughter–no doubt over a prank they have just played on unsuspecting victims–ceases as they spot my short figure huddled on the armchair.

"Well, look who we have here," Cassair sneers, his hazel eyes narrowing into a glare as I finally glance up at the trio. "I wondered why the room stank of complete bitch when we came in."

"You're oh-so-witty, Cassie," I mock before rolling my eyes. "And I was trying to study before you three burst in here, but I'm sure academia is completely lost on morons like you."

"At least we don't spend our time with our noses buried in books because no one can stand to be around us." He snarls, but before an argument can ensue between the two of us, James speaks up, his lips curling into a smug smirk.

"You know, team trials went _very_ well yesterday," His smirk grows as he speaks. "This has to be the best team we've had in years, no little blondes getting too big for their boots and holding us back now."

Instead of snapping at him furiously, I simply climb to my feet, dusting off my robes as my shapely lips form a smirk. His eyebrows arch in puzzlement as I stroll towards him, leaning my torso forward to bring my face to level with his as he slouches in his seat.

"We'll see about that on the Quidditch pitch."

I can't help but grin at his dumbfounded expression as I straighten myself up, biting back the urge to announce my position on the Ravenclaw team–even though I am a reserve–before turning my back on the trio. At this moment, I have to admit, I'm almost thankful that Emmett made me reserve Seeker–although I'd prefer it if I wasn't a reserve–as in the one in a million chance that I am put in a match against Gryffindor, I can take on the smug bastard I call an ex-boyfriend. I feel comforted by the thought as I make my way towards the portrait hole, although I still hope Emmett will fall out a window before James calls out to me from his armchair.

"What the hell are you on about, Simmons?" He hisses as I pause, glancing over my shoulder at him with my smirk returning.

"You'll find out soon enough," I reply. "And when you do, I'll make sure I'm there to see the look on your face."

* * *

><p>As I enter the Charms classroom, my cheerful mood over mouthing off to James Potter drains away, replaced with anxiety as I skim the room for a pair of familiar figures dressed in Ravenclaw robes. Finally, I spot the short yet fairly curved figure of Manny sitting in the front row, her head toppled in well-layered, glossy ebony tangles, the ends bouncing about her miniscule waist as she looks about the room. I wonder if she is looking for me and as I approach her, my wondering is answered as her gaze darts towards me, her lips forming an excited smile. She pats the seat next to her, her sun-kissed skin glistening in the candlelight as her grin simply widens when I take my allocated seat beside her.<p>

"Jude should be here soon, Darcy," She beams cheerfully, her joy immediately calming my nerves. "How has your day been so far?"

"Okay thanks. I ran into James and his friends in the common room though which usually isn't very pleasant," I say with a shrug my shoulders. "What about you?"

"I guess run-ins like that are hard to avoid if you're in the same house," She states before chuckling and nudging me gently with her elbow. "But my day has been pretty good; I've been really excited for Charms."

"Really? I've been extremely nervous." I admit with a half-smile.

"What? Why?" Her smile drops, her joyful expression replaced with a look of confusion.

"I don't know, I've just been nervous over why and how you are going to help me or something," I say softly. "Not to mention I also want to punch your fellow Ravenclaw in the face."

"Emmett?" She asks before I nod in response, a frown on my lips at the thought of him. "He's really not a bad guy; he's just a bit on edge about you."

"I haven't done anything wrong through." I pout, folding my arms over my chest tightly.

"I know, but just be patient, you'll come to find he's really wonderful." She assures me as a sly smirk suddenly replaces my frown.

"Is that so? Just out of curiosity, what _are_ you and Emmett?" Her eyes widen as she gasps.

"W-w-what do you mean?" She ducks her head, but I don't need to see her bronzed face to know she is blushing.

"I mean are you two an item?"

"An item? No, no, no, I mean he's a really great guy and he's so gorgeous, but we've been friends for years," She rambles away bashfully. "I mean we're not an item now, but maybe in the future we could be, I would absolutely love that. But I don't know where he stands or if he even knows where I do."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," I interrupt her rambling with a smile. "Although I don't plan on having any conversations with him, I won't tell him or anyone else."

She exhales with relief, her shoulders slumping forward as her whole figure relaxes before she grins at me.

"Thanks," She squeaks. "I'm confident about how I feel when it's just casual flirting, but the idea of actually telling him just makes me so nervous because I don't know how he feels."

"Well, he seemed happy with your flirting during lunch, if that helps." I state before I even realise what I've just said.

"You saw that?" Manny asks with her eyebrows arched inquisitively.

"Maybe." I murmur, hoping she won't find me terribly creepy, but when her lips fold into a smile, my fears wash away.

Moments later, the rest of the Advanced Charms students pour into the room, including Jude who immediately spots us, his tall figure reaching our desk in a matter of seconds. He sits himself beside me, his raven curls falling loose about his neck to frame his fair face, a stray ringlet falling over his dazzling grey eyes. He drapes his arm around the back of my chair, his lips producing a coy smirk as he glances from me to Manny.

"Looks like this Charms class just got interesting with such beauties sitting beside me." He soothes as he combs his stray curl out of his eyes.

"Oh Ju-Ju." Manny giggles at his compliment as I just roll my eyes.

"Keep your appendages to yourself or I'll rip them off." I mutter, peeling his arm away from the back of my chair as he chuckles.

"Now, now, be nice, I'm here to help," He explains with a playful grin as his eyes dart towards Manny. "But it doesn't matter; I still have a gorgeous Filipino to appreciate my compliments."

I roll my eyes once again before catching sight of a familiar, dark-skinned athletic figure lingering about a desk across the room. I narrow my eyes into a glare at Gabriel as he stares in confusion, his gaze darting from the duo of Ravenclaws to me. Other students join him in glancing our way, no doubt wondering why students from different houses who have never sat together before are now willingly hanging out. I reluctantly look away, resisting the urge to flash the onlookers an extremely profane hand signal, returning my attention to the Ravenclaws sitting on either side of me, flirting casually with one another.

"Okay you two, less flirting, more helping," I interrupt the pair as class begins, Jude pouting at me for interrupting his attempts at charming Manny. "It's time you two explain everything as you said you would."

"Well, we want to help you with Quidditch," Manny explains as we scribble down what Professor Flitwick says. "Because, in all honesty, the both of us actually suggested Emmett make you Seeker, not a reserve."

"You did?" My jaw drops in disbelief. Why would they suggest that? I'm a Chaser, not a Seeker.

"Yep," Jude pipes from my other side, a smirk dancing across his lips. "Seekers need to be light, small, and fast, which you _definitely_ are. The only reason Emmett didn't make you Seeker is because you have no experience playing the position. Not to mention you haven't exactly tried to be on his good side,"

"Luckily, we have known Emmett for seven years; we know exactly what he expects of a Seeker. We can help you improve on your skills to fit what he expects," As if reading my mind as I doubt that Emmett would accept me onto the team if he dislikes me, Jude continues. "And because we have known him for so long, we talk you up. We can push him towards considering making you primary Seeker, then we can show him your newfound skills and there we go."

"There's no way it's that easy, we have a month and a half until the first Quidditch game and I doubt he's going to risk using me as Seeker if I've only trained for such a short period of time." Jude frowns at my pessimistic attitude before Manny intercepts.

"We'll train everyday during breaks and free time, sometimes with your broom, sometimes without," She states with a supportive smile. "For things like one-handed or no-handed flying, it's all about balance and broom control, some of which we can perfect on the ground. Honestly, trust us, we know what we're doing, we wouldn't suggest this if we didn't think it could work."

"Won't Emmett get upset that you're helping me?" I ask glancing at Manny, wondering if she could handle the boy she has her eye on angry with her. "I know he doesn't want a Gryffindor on his Quidditch team, so he probably won't want his friends helping me get on it."

"He just wants the best Quidditch team he can get and when he sees how brilliant you are with a bit more practice, the house you're in won't matter at all," Manny states although I can notice a flicker of fear in her eyes. "And he'll know we are just helping him realise who is the best Seeker for his team."

"And as I said, we'll convince him that we were right about you being Seeker. If you want to help us avoid him getting angry, you could also try and be more pleasant to him during practice." Jude suggests before I turn to him with a deadpan expression.

"If he acts like a prick, I'll tell him. I'm not going to pretend that it's okay for him to be rude to me." I challenge with a frown.

"He's your Captain, he's allowed to tell you what to do and if you actually listen, he'll warm up to you. He takes Quidditch _very _seriously and by listening to him, you help the team and practice flow better, something he will be grateful for." I glare at him stubbornly before reluctantly sighing and dropping my gaze to my work.

"Fine," I mutter sourly. "I'll be on my best behaviour and try my hardest not to kick him in the groin if he acts like an arse."

"Great, then I'll start working on Emmett and Manny can start working on you," Jude grinned in triumph. "In a month and a half's time, you'll be our primary Seeker."

"We'll start with training this afternoon," Manny adds with a smile as I nod in agreement, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for what the two are doing for me, someone they barely know. "And if you need extra inspiration, I hear our first match is against Gryffindor."


	5. Chapter Five

_Author's Note: _I was actually working on an update for another fanfiction, but I got into Pottermore last week and have been doing lots of Harry Potter related drawings, so I have been in a huge Potter mood. So my inspiration shifted to this story. :3 I meant to post this a few days ago, but I ended up going to someone's house so this was delayed. Also did you know apparently Rowling took the online quiz on Pottermore and was sorted into Hufflepuff? I was like "AWESOME! :D"

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Five<em>

After my deal with Jude and Manny in Charms, everything suddenly kicked off as every single sliver of free time Manny and I shared is now spent in one another's company over the next three weeks, developing my skills necessary for the position of Seeker. After every session, we chatter away to one another cheerfully before our conversation ends with Manny admiring my progress and instructing me when to next meet her for another session. My seat amongst her and Jude in Charms is now my permanent choice–despite the still baffled stares we receive–as is the same in the other classes we share, although quite often when Emmett is present, the duo slink away to sit with him whilst he and I simply glare at one another sourly.

As I expected, our contempt for one another has not softened, even though I attend every single Quidditch practice–only because Jude and Manny insist I must attend to get on his good side which I am starting to believe doesn't even exist–despite my position as a reserve. I spend whatever free time I have left between training with Manny and doing my homework studying his Quidditch plays. I am quite surprised that my position on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team has not flooded through the student body by now, although I wouldn't dare complain, the last thing I need is James Potter and his cronies finding out about my position and secret training, not only do they have big mouths, but James would no doubt abuse his position as Head Boy to keep me detained from practice. Plus I'm fairly sure the Ravenclaw students are not exactly bragging about a Gryffindor being on their team and beating others at the team trials for a position, even if I am a reserve, it _is_ fairly humiliating.

I feel a strange sense of smugness at the thought overcome me as I enter the Potions classroom, my lips spreading into a wider smirk as I think of the look on the faces of both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students if I am able to take over the primary Seeker position. I am so wrapped up in my amusement as I make my way towards an empty desk that I barely notice the dainty figure of Manny calling to me from across the room, her arm waving through the air to catch my attention, inviting me to join her across the room. She stands alongside Emmett and Jude, the former of which rolls his eyes and frowns at her, clearly not pleased with her invitation. I pause as if waiting for her to withdraw her offer at Emmett's disapproval, but her grinning–and waving–does not falter and after a moment more of studying the Ravenclaw trio, I smile back at her and make my way towards them.

"Oh great, look whose here." He mutters under his breath as I approach, folding his toned arms over his chest, his handsome face set in a stern expression.

"Be nice," Jude scolds as I suddenly contemplate turning away and fleeing to my isolated desk where Emmett cannot bother me, but before I can move a single muscle, Jude greets me. "Good morning, Darcy. Hurry your little self up and come sit with us."

"Shut up." I hiss as Emmett's expression lightens for a mere second to taunt his closest comrade.

"For once, Simmons and I agree on something." He teases before Manny envelopes me in a tight welcoming embrace, sending Emmett's eyebrows to his hairline.

"Morning, Darce!" Manny squeaks as I stumble out of her friendly embrace, but her infectious smile stops my own from falling, not to mention the nickname she has allocated me makes my smile grow. "I hope you slept well."

"That I did, how about yourself?" I reply.

"Since when are those two so close?" Emmett asks Jude as Manny raves away about her late night spent studying for her Herbology quiz.

"Who knows, they're girls, girls can bond over anything in mere seconds," He states with a shrug, shaking his ebony curls out of his eyes with a smirk on his lips. "Just wait until their periods start to synchronise, then they'll be like sisters."

"Jude..." Emmett groans in disgust as I frown, my ears perking up at his comment.

"I'm sure you and Emmett have already synchronised yours so you know all about it." I sneer before Professor Slughorn sweeps into the room, dressed in his trademark velvet robes trimmed with golden thread.

"Please take your seats." He instructs us as he arranges a trio of miniature cauldrons containing freshly brewed potions for the class.

"Ju-Ju, why don't you sit with Darce?" Manny pipes as she claims the desk Emmett is leaning against with cat-like reflexes.

"Sure." He replies with a shrug, taking the desk to the left of theirs before gesturing for me to join him.

I watch as Manny excitedly settles into her seat alongside Emmett, giggling at something he has said with a smile on his own lips whilst I lower into my own seat. I comb a stray strand of blonde behind my ear as I catch sight of James, Cassair, and Gabriel out of the corner of my eye, the former pair glancing at me with confused expressions as the latter mutters something to them, no doubt explaining that I have also sat alongside the Ravenclaws in Charms class. I roll my eyes and snatch out my parchment, scribbling down notes on the potions Slughorn is presenting before noticing Jude isn't doing the same. Instead his elbow is propped up onto the desk with his hand curled into a large fist on which he rests his slanted jaw, his dazzling grey eyes focused on Manny and Emmett as he purses his lips together in concentration.

"You should probably be focusing on Slughorn instead of those two." I state as my eyes return to my notes.

"What?" He blurts before sighing and ducking his head, his loose curls shadowing his fair face. "Oh right, thanks _Mum_."

"Hey, fail if you want to," I reply nonchalantly before a sly smirk spreads across my lips. "But I can promise you, doing _that_ won't impress Manny at all."

"And? What makes you think I want to impress Manny?" He pouts stubbornly as I glance up at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Oh yes, whatever could make me think you want to impress Manny," I mock. "Wait, I remember, it might be the fact that you spend your free time ogling at her or glaring at any male she even stands near."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He protests as he lazily scrawls down messy notes, trying to catch up with what Slughorn is saying.

"Sure you don't," My tone suddenly becomes a serious one as I gaze passed Jude at Manny and Emmett who are talking to one another gently whilst taking their own notes, their bodies separated by only a few centimetres. "But let's say _hypothetically _that everything I just said was true and you did know what I was talking about–"

"Where is this going?" He grunts impatiently, his irked tone foreign to me due to his outgoing, playful personality.

"Well, in that situation, wouldn't _that _bother you?" I gesture discreetly towards the cosy pair, instructing Jude's gaze to fall on the pair. "I mean he is your best friend and she would be the girl you _like _in this purely hypothetical situation."

"Hypothetically or not, I _know _he would never go for Manny."

"Are you sure? He seems to be enjoying her company." I say with a shrug before frowning as he rolls his eyes at me.

"Of course he's enjoying her company, it's Manny. She's practically his sister," He states in a matter of fact tone before a small, reluctant smile spreads across his lips. "Besides, seeing as I might as well admit that this isn't hypothetical, he wouldn't chase after someone I am interested in or someone who could distract him from Quidditch training."

I bob my head into a nod, musing over Jude's confidence that his comrade would not dare even consider an interest in Manny despite her clear desire for him. A desire I cannot comprehend considering he is an uptight, stubborn arse, but at least he appears to be loyal to his closest friend. Silence settles stiffly between the pair of us for the rest of the lesson as we jot down notes, although Jude soon ends up doodling along his parchment in disinterest towards the Potions lecture.

* * *

><p>A chorus of squeaks erupts through the dimly lit room as students climb out of their chairs, scraping the wooden stools against the stone flooring. I tuck my notes away, barely listening to Slughorn's reassurance that the next lesson will be far more hands-on and riveting as he busies himself about the front of the classroom, gathering materials for his following class. Suddenly, Jude groans loudly as I glance up, briefly catching Manny gesturing to me impatiently before she quickly hides her motion nonchalantly.<p>

"Well, if I don't ask you now, Manny will kill me," Jude speaks up as I rise to my feet, his tall well-toned form towering over me as if he were several years my senior. "She wants me to invite you to join us in the library to study seeing as we share a few classes. Plus we can work on warming Emmett up to you."

"I'd rather fall off a cliff than spend more time with him," I mutter bitterly before surrendering with a sigh. "But I guess I'll come anyway, the pair of you can make up for his crap company."

"Great, that keeps me out of Manny's bad books." He chimes with a coy smirk as students around us pour out of the room.

As the room empties, we depart from our desk to where Manny lingers by the doorway alongside Emmett who leans against the stone wall, his arms folded tightly over his torso as he glares foully when he notices me approaching alongside his comrade as if I am an intruder. Manny, on the other hand, bursts into a wide grin, her glossy locks shimmering about her waist as she bounds towards us, her dark chocolate eyes twinkling with excitement.

"So are you joining us in the library?" She beam before her adorable smile grows as I nod in response. "That's great!"

"Wait, she's coming to the library too?" Emmett grunts as we brush passed him, shuffling out of the Potions room whilst Slughorn bids us farewell. "Thanks for running that by me."

"She has a name and if my presence bothers you so much then don't show up, I certainly won't complain." I snap as he stalks behind us, sulking stubbornly as if he were a prepubescent child.

"Looks like even the Ravenclaws don't want you, Simmons," The voice of Cassair along with chuckles from Gabriel–albeit a reluctant one–and James cause me to pause on the spot. "Not that I'm bloody surprised."

I turn to face the trio who are beginning to become more than just a manageable nuisance now that they are turning up everywhere. Manny joins me in my irritation, her plump lips dropping into a frown that appears alien against her attractive features and bubbly nature. Emmett just rolls his eyes, probably contemplating stalking down the hall away from us, which he would do if it weren't for Jude and Manny.

"Having to scrounge around other houses for friends, are we?" James adds patronisingly.

"Why don't you three just leave her alone? I don't see a flock of people lining up to be your friends and I'm starting to understand why," Manny defends me furiously, her tone surprisingly harsh compared to her petite appearance. "And no matter what bullshit you sprout out about Darce, at least she'll never be a lowlife like you three."

"Well, well, well, who is this?" Cassair charms, a charismatic smirk on his lips as he arches his eyebrows curiously high above his hazel orbs which scan her form lecherously.

"No one you will ever know." Jude snarls, draping an arm around her dainty shoulders protectively as he glares at the Irish Gryffindor murderously.

"As much fun as this is, I have Quidditch plays to work on." Emmett mutters, clearly choosing to abandon his friends here rather than suffer through the company of James and his cronies any longer.

"Even with all that hard work, beating us isn't even possible in your dreams." James shouts after him snidely.

"Really? Because it sounds like all you do is abuse your ill-given position as Captain," He replies nonchalantly as he turns a corner, calling over his shoulder briefly before his footsteps fade out. "Either way, we'll settle this on the Quidditch pitch."

I grin to myself as the trio of Gryffindors scowl and depart from the hallway–although they do pause to throw me a dirty glare–because for the first time I cannot help, but agree with what Emmett has said nor can I wait until _I _can settle this on the Quidditch pitch.


	6. Chapter Six

_Author's Note: _I seriously haven't updated in ages. D: And I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter. I just had a HUGE family emergency a few weeks ago including a hospital stay for one of my family members, etc and now I've moved into university so I've been preoccupied. xD But my internet is up and running and I am back. I'll hopefully get into a writing schedule soon in response to my work load. PLUS I MISS WRITING THIS STORY. D; Maybe part of the reason this chapter feels weird-and shorter than usual-is because I'm still getting back into the groove of writing this. ^^

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six<em>

"Studying at the library ended up going pretty well, didn't it?" Manny pipes as she walks ahead of me, guiding me out of the castle as our free period commences.

Her petite figure is dressed in her bronze and cerulean-coloured Quidditch uniform which hugs the dips and curves of her dainty form whilst padding her protectively should she collide with anything. Her glossy ebony tangles are tied back tightly forming a shimmering ponytail which swings rhythmically between her shoulder blades as she walks. I follow her obediently as she guides me towards where our session of Seeker training will take place whilst finding myself frowning at the memory of the evening spent in the library with the trio of Ravenclaws following our Potions class and unsavoury run-in with James Potter and his moronic duo.

That night I found myself arriving surprisingly early to the library after Advanced Charms with Jude and Manny at my sides, the three of us quickly sitting ourselves at a table at the far end of the room, hidden amongst the vast array of fully stocked bookshelves. What was even more surprising was that I was actually in a brilliant mood; I felt a strange tingle of excitement and adrenaline at the image that had been dancing around my mind all day, the image of going up against James as Seekers in a Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor Quidditch match. But my cheerful mood quickly evaporated away when Emmett arrived with a scowl on his fair features, interrupting our happy chatter of conversation. He spent the first few moments after his arrival glaring at me angrily as if I were an unwanted intruder, a pesky insect that existed purely to infuriate him and I ended up returning his foul glare until soon enough we ended up in a heated argument, exchanging snide remarks as Jude and Manny watched helplessly.

"If by well you mean I enjoyed spending time with you and Jude, then yes," I reply once I shake my head free of the memory yet my frown remains. "But if by well you mean I no longer want Emmett to fall off a cliff, then no, it did _not_ go well."

"Well then, we have this evening to try again," She beams optimistically as if the night was not nearly as horrific as I recall it. "After we get some Seeker training in that is."

"Oh great, more time to spend with that arsehole, what could be more fun to do with my free evenings?" I grumble, folding my arms over my chest with a scowl.

"You know you could try being a bit nicer to him," Manny chimes, glancing over her shoulder at me with a smile on her plump rose petal lips. "He's not going to warm up to you being Seeker if you spend all of your time antagonising him."

"If he's going to act like an arse then I will treat him like one," I retort stubbornly as I blow my slanted golden bangs out of my dark chocolate eyes before rolling them. "Besides if he really is a _good _Quidditch Captain then he will make me primary Seeker because I am the best one for the position, whether he likes me or not."

"Please promise me you'll take the high road and try to be nicer to him, Darce." She pushes, her smile falling slightly.

"Why?" I say with a shrug, not understanding why I should be the one to take the so-called high road if he is the one acting like a prick.

"Just do it for me," She sighs heavily, a sound that is so obscure against her bubbly personality that me being the cause of it makes my throat tighten with guilt. "He is a really good guy and I think if you can try and be the bigger person, he'll loosen up and you'll see that."

"_Fine_," I groan as I throw my arms in the air in defeat. "I'll be the bigger person, but if he starts to be a snide prick even with me being the bigger person, I will punch his smug face in."

"Thanks," Her chirpy nature suddenly returns as we exit the castle into the crisp autumn air, her lips now forming an eager grin. "And just for that, because I knew you'd be the bigger person, Ju-Ju and I have planned something special for our session today."

"Really? What?" I ask suspiciously, trying to hide the butterflies fluttering through my stomach as I feel her contagious exhilaration flood over me.

"Well, before I tell you we'll have to get our brooms out of the broomshed first." She explains in an almost sing-song tone.

"Why? We can't use them unless we have permission from Professor Spinnet to practice on the Quidditch pitch." I remind as I arch my eyebrows at her sceptically.

"I know." She says nonchalantly with a smirk as we now walk alongside one another.

I gawk in confusion as she continues towards the broomshed despite my reminder and it's only when she draws the key partnered to the enchanted padlock that seals the shed shut from her pocket that my mind snaps into place, her words-and knowingly smirk-suddenly making crystal clear sense to me.

"Wait," I blurt as she withdraws my broom followed by her own, her smirk curling into a smile of amusement at me. "We are practicing on the Quidditch pitch?"

"I'm surprised it took you that long to figure it out," She giggles. "Maybe that's why you're not a Ravenclaw."

"How did you even get Spinnet to agree to let you use the pitch outside of scheduled practice let alone only for us, not the Quidditch Captain?" I question, ignoring her playful taunt for the time being as I am overwhelmed with utter bewilderment. Professor Spinnet is not an easy woman to sway on the best of days, especially when it comes to her beloved Quidditch pitch.

"Ju-Ju and I just assured her that it was for practice to train our new Seeker after Chris' injury and we would not damage a single thing," She states as if it is as simple a task as breathing. "And Ju-Ju _may _have said something along the lines of Emmett, one of her star flying pupils when we were in our first year, desperately needing the pitch for today."

"Either way I can't wait to get out there," I squeak in a vivacious tone of overexcitement that is foreign against my usual nature. "I honestly thought I wouldn't ever be able to step foot on the Quidditch pitch this year, thanks to Potter."

"Well, trust me, this won't be the last time you're on it," Manny assures me with a kind smile as we stride towards it, my whole attitude now surprisingly upbeat, almost enough to match hers. "After today's practice, you'll definitely be able to make the Seeker position. In fact you probably are now; today is just about putting everything you've developed into action."

I strangely find myself grinning back at her and nodding in agreement, an odd sense of confidence overcoming me in regards to the Seeker position, a position I have been dreading ever since I discovered my misidentification of Christopher Corner. I grip my broom tightly in anticipation as we enter the pitch, almost as if letting go of the broom would let this wondrous moment slip away as well as my chance at the Ravenclaw Seeker position. When we reach the centre, Manny turns to face me, her dark almond-shaped eyes sparkling with delight as our session begins.

"Today I think we should try and address all of the skills you have developed, of course, but the main ones we need to focus on for the Seeker position are speed, agility, and one-handed or no-handed flying," She explains, holding her broom before her, ready to mount it at any moment whilst I find myself doing the same. "Of course we can work on speed and agility together seeing as I, being a Chaser, have to be fast and agile to some degree. However, the flying skills unique to Seekers you'll have to demonstrate on your own."

Within seconds after the last word rolls off of her tongue, she mounts her broom and jets off into the air, swishing passed me in the blink of an eye. I quickly follow suit, easily able to speed passed her after many late night hours spent improving my speed to that of a Seeker. Being back on the Quidditch pitch leaves my adrenaline pumping for the entire session and I find myself unable to hold back a smile the entire time as I, myself, am even impressed by my new abilities. I can't believe that I am somehow able to remain completely stable and balanced without my hands to guide my swerving broom about, when with my two feet planted firmly on the ground I can be utterly clumsy.

Time flies by in a whirlwind of exhilaration as before I know it, Manny and I are lowering to the ground, our session coming to an end so that we have time to cool off–and shower over course–before heading to the library. Manny beams at me in approval, her broad smile mirrored on my own lips.

"You did brilliantly, Darce," She exclaims as I dismount my broom. "Honestly, maybe we should bring up Emmett allowing you to try-out again at the library tonight or at Potions tomorrow."

"Really? Isn't it a bit too soon?" I murmur, feeling almost nervous at the idea especially if I am rejected for the position. "If he says no, I won't get another chance at the position."

"It's not too soon at all. The first match is coming up and we need to start practicing _with _you as the primary Seeker as soon as possible," She replies encouragingly. "Besides how can Emmett say no when you are the best person for the position?"

"I'm not so sure _that_ is true, considering she is _supposed _to be a Chaser, so there are many ways that I can say no." A masculine voice interrupts our glee from behind me as Manny's eyes widen, her charming smile dropping immediately into an expression of dread.

I don't need to glance over my shoulder to know who it is, his words and Manny's terrified features making me well-aware that Emmett's towering, brawny figure lingers behind my miniscule one. I can hear the crisp grass crunch beneath his weight and feel a tinge of anxiety rush over me with each step he makes. Moments later he speaks, his voice booming and harsh, holding a commanding tone that practically makes dainty little Manny quiver nervously.

"_This _is what the pitch has been booked for supposedly under _my_ order and _my _responsibility?" He snaps, not even glancing at me once as his piercing stare fixes on Manny. "Now tell me, Manny, what exactly is _this_?"

* * *

><p>"Did he say anything else?" Jude asks with his arm draped around Manny's shoulders comforting as we tuck ourselves away in the corner of the library a few hours after our run-in with Emmett.<p>

"No, he didn't even wait for an answer," I pipe for Manny who simply slumps in her chair, her head bowed causing her pinpoint straight locks to pour over her shoulders in a waterfall of ebony as she purses her lips together into a frown. "He just stormed off without a second glance."

"I didn't think he would get that angry," She adds in a whisper of a voice. "I was just trying to help."

"Don't worry," Jude sooths as he pulls her closer to him, allowing her head to nuzzle into his collarbone. "He'll come around."

I bob my head into a nod of agreement with his statement, although I'm fairly sure that isn't true. In fact all hope of me becoming the Ravenclaw Seeker evaporated away the moment he walked in on our training session, but I go along with Jude's lie anyway. His pallid face wears a pained expression at Manny's unhappiness as he struggles to reassure her, even if he is consoling her over her apparent feelings for his closest friend. I begin to wonder what Jude will say if Emmett confronts him over this whole situation as the uptight bastard is probably already suspicious of his involvement. Part of me is fairly sure he will try and shift all of the blame onto himself, to relieve Manny of Emmett's anger.

"When I next see Emmett, I'll tell him it was my idea," He states moments later, answering the questions swirling through my mind as I watch the duo from across the table. "At least that can take some of the heat off of you."

"Neither of you should get any of this so called heat nor should you feel bad about it," I intercept before Manny can protest to his suggestion. "He is completely overreacting, if you were helping to train any other player he would probably look passed the lies and be grateful, he's only got something up his arse because it's me."

"Whatever the reason for him being this pissed off, he'll come around soon," Jude repeats himself before sighing slightly. "It just depends if he comes around before our first match."

"Whose it against?" I ask, trying to change the subject away from Emmett's fury even though I'd rather not talk about the fact that I might not even be the Seeker reserve, let alone the primary Seeker, by that time if Emmett gets his way.

"Gryffindor," He mutters, anticipating the frown that spreads across my lips in irritation. "Sorry about that. It would've been fucking great to put Potter in his place."

"And we still _will_ put Potter in his place," Emmett's growls as he emerges from behind a row of bookcases, his brilliant blue eyes narrowed, setting his attractive face in a firm expression. "Or do you doubt my abilities as Captain that much?"

I roll my eyes at him before folding my arms over my chest in irritation as his habit of appearing out of thin air and interrupting a conversation that does not concern him is starting to seriously get on my nerves. As I continue to scoff at Emmett's presence, Manny retreats from Jude's embrace shamefully, her gaze simply dropping to her lap as she moves, bowing her head once again.

"We didn't mean that, Emmett," Jude says quickly, shaking his head of thick dark curls to emphasise his point. "It's just that–"

"That you want to use Simmons to put the prat in his place." Emmett interrupts in a matter of fact tone.

"Look, why are you even here, Boot?" I snap impatiently. "Because so far all you're doing is pissing me off."

"Is that any way to speak to your Captain?" He snarls before slamming a slab of parchment decorated in elegant cursive down onto the tabletop. "I'm here to drop off the player listings for our first game."

"Why would any of us want to see those?" I mutter with a glare, stubbornly refusing to glance down at the paper.

"So you can start showing me a little kindness if you want this to be a _permanent _position." He hisses before tapping a few words scribbled across the bottom of the page.

My glare reluctantly leaves his features to follow his gesture as Manny and Jude do the same, peering down at the parchment eagerly. I feel my eyes widen involuntarily as I skim over the three extravagant words written before me: _Darcy Simmons, Seeker._


	7. Chapter Seven

_Author's Note: _Sorry for going missing in action again, I've had people visiting me at uni for the last seven days or so plus my laptop was slowly dying, it no longer charged properly. It had to be plugged in constantly and at times the charger cord stopped responding to my laptop. And it crashed frequently. So I got a new one (YAY!)** and I'm at the end of my uni term so I** **can take writing back up again**. Although I am not working on fanfictions so much right now as I am suddenly way more inspired for original fiction, I'm still feeling fairly inspired for this story and hope to get back to updating frequently. ^^ AND, before I finish this rambling note, I want to say sorry for EmodinosaurX3 for like the thousandth time for vanishing, BUT AFTER I FINISH THIS I'LL MAKE IT UP TO HER. 8D

Anyway, I also apologise for this fillery chapter. It had to be done. I'm sorry. xD I have had such little sleep so I wasn't sure how to put this chapter in. Had to happen, but it's not all that much action, mostly just thoughts and such.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seven<em>

The minute the words came out of Emmett's mouth, I feared the whole scene was just a dream, a figment of my imagination to shield myself from accepting the fact that I wouldn't step foot on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts ever again, let alone play the game I loved alongside my new friends. And even now as I scramble into my blue and bronze-coloured uniform, soon to depart out onto the pitch for the first match against Gryffindor, I worry this is all a dream. If it is, I hope I can cling onto it for a few minutes longer before my alarm starts shrieking, I want to stay in this wonderful world just to see James Potter's expression as I march out onto the pitch alongside the Ravenclaws.

After strapping down the various safety pads to my arms and legs, I tie my golden blonde hair back with a tight elastic band before pinning my slanted bangs out of my chocolate brown eyes, fully exposing my fair features. Now ready, I press my lips into a smirk, trying to hide the butterflies fluttering through my stomach anxiously. I follow the rest of the team towards the shed, snatching up my broom as I pass. The Ravenclaw team organises itself into a line, everyone–apart from Manny and Jude–still greeting me with looks of disdain as I brush by them to stand with the only two people not avoiding me like the plague.

Manny's appearance mirrors mine, her glossy black tangles pinned back out of her bronzed features with the corners of her eyes pinching together as her lips spread into a large, excited grin. She grips her broom tightly as I do the same, practically shaking with nerves as if this will be the first game of Quidditch I have every played. In contrast to use, Jude wears a nonchalant expression framed by his loose black curls, appearing almost disinterested in what feels like a life-changing event to me. He is compressed into his own similarly-coloured uniform that lies slightly askew here and there where he has lazily tugged it on, giving him an even more stress-free look.

"Are you nervous for your first match, Darce?" He pipes with his trademark coy smirk now forming.

"She has no reason to be nervous," Manny protests confidently, flashing her grin at me. "She'll do brilliantly."

"Of course she well, after all she had a pair of pretty damn brilliant advisors." He adds smugly.

"I'm just happy to finally get back on the pitch," I admit. "I thought I'd never see it again, thanks to Potter."

"Potter's an arrogant prat who clearly didn't know what was best for his team." Manny states, her smile shrinking as she curls her fingers into tight fists around her broom as if she is about to snap it in half.

"Just wait until we see his face when I march out there with you guys though." I beam in a desperate attempt to keep her comfortable, bubbly attitude which I am finding calms my nerves.

As Jude quickly changes the subject to wondering where Emmett is, joining me in trying to calm Manny down out of her fury. It's strange for me to see her so hateful when she is otherwise willing to be everyone and anyone's, so I cannot imagine how bizarre or perhaps frightening it is for Jude. He does everything he can to calm her when Potter and his pals approach me with her as a witness, trying to stop her from becoming sour-faced, from narrowing her eyes into a glare and snapping at them furiously before they can even speak as if their mere presence is completely intolerable to her.

I guess once I get passed the strangeness, I will be grateful she stands by me, even though the trio ignore her words and proceed to taunt me regardless. Nowadays, though, all I find myself doing is smirking and brushing them off, their belief that they have some sort of hold over me–especially James for taking away my Quidditch position–only reinforcing my excitement to see their expressions.

"I want to go out there now," I complain impatiently, my thoughts once again reminding me of how I am dying to see those three faces. "You two are meant to be his best friends, where the hell is Boot?"

"Calm down, Simmons," I immediately feel my eyebrows knit together in irritation as I roll my eyes at the voice behind me. "I'm right here, but you won't be if you don't show your Captain some respect."

"You know, it's impolite to eavesdrop." I mutter.

"Just as impolite as it is to be ungrateful when someone gives _you_ a position on _their _Quidditch team," He retorts. "Better keep that in mind from now on."

"You must be excited for the match, _Captain_," Manny intercepts, the word captain rolling off her tongue seductively as her grin moulds into a sly smirk. "All your hard work is _definitely _going to pay off."

I roll my eyes at her odd flirting, resisting the urge to ask for a bucket to vomit into, an urge I reckon Jude is fighting as well. Somewhere beneath his calm expression, somewhere deep down, I'm sure he wishes he'd be the only boy she flirts with, the only boy she looks at, the only boy, period.

"Hopefully all that _secret _training you were giving Simmons will too." Emmett replies coldly, clearly still irked that his comrades hid something that concerned his Quidditch team from him.

Manny's smile falters for a second before being replaced with a look of determination.

"I promise it will."

Luckily, before the incredibly awkward tension that could be cut with a knife grows any worse, we are ordered onto the pitch with Emmett's tall, brawny form leading us proudly. As I stumble along behind Jude, I curse my diminutive height, the boy behind me towering over me as well, making me almost invisible to the naked eye by comparison to both men. It is only when we approach the centre of the pitch that we separate from our line into distinguishable beings with the Gryffindor team doing the same in front of us.

Emmett and James, standing a few steps ahead of the rest of their teams, are within arm distance of one another with the instructor at their sides. I quickly scramble into view, practically bursting at the seams with anticipation as I desperately want James to notice me for the first time in a long time. I almost feel a sense of déjà vu as I try and will myself to stick out like a sore thumb or turn blue just to catch his eye for a second. Surely enough, after surveying his opposing captain, James glances past him to inspect the team with a sneer before his eyes land on me last.

I feel like an explosion of happiness erupts within me as I watch his eyes narrow for a split second as if to confirm what he has just seen before widening to the size of dinner plates with his jaw hanging unhinged. His tight grip on his broomstick becomes slack, his body leaning towards me as if I am a mirage that will vanish any second. I almost want to walk up to him and slap him around the face to confirm that he is in fact, not dreaming and neither am I, this is really happening. But instead of violence or a string of rude words–for once–I simply smile and raise my hand, wiggling my fingers into a wave at him.

"Are we ready to start the match?" Emmett asks, his stern expression becoming one of amusement as he too notices James' expression.

"What is _she _doing here?" He manages to splutter out a sentence, dragging one of his arms up to point at me.

He quickly clears his throat when others look my way, finally absorbing my presence as real before straightens himself up. His hand drops back to his broom, but his eyes remain on me, now wearing a look of suspicion instead of shock. I almost want to sigh in disappointment that the moment of pure hilarity at his expense had to end, but luckily, Emmett's reply keeps my grinning going.

"She is Darcy Simmons, our new Seeker."

As James returns to his shock, now joined by his teammates, I can't help but think that this moment is the happiest I've been in my entire life. I practically want to jump onto the ground and roll around after mentally photographing the Gryffindors' expressions, just to absorb every little detail of this moment. Even with the pain starting to form in my cheeks from all this grinning, I still feel euphoria flooding through my veins along with bursts of adrenaline.

"But she's not even a Ravenclaw or a Seeker." James exclaims, now turning his glare on Emmett.

"As Captain, I can choose anyone to be a member of my team and do not need _your _input," He snaps back, unfazed by James' hostility. "So are we going to play Quidditch or not?"

"Of course we are," James snaps before a smirk forms on his lips, immediately making my grin drop and eyes roll. "Nice to know you guys can't even take yourselves seriously enough to get a _real _Seeker. But don't worry, I'll make sure to mention this when I'm toasting to my team over our winning Quidditch cup."

Before Emmett can tell him where to shove it, the game begins, each of us mounting our brooms–albeit with glares all aimed at James for his comment–and taking to our positions. I fly up above the rest of my team and once everyone settles, the silence is broken as the Quaffle is thrust into the air with the duo of Bludgers and a single Golden Snitch released alongside it. The Snitch vanishes into the thick, grey clouds above before in the blink of an eye, leaving me to anxiously search the under layer of the cloud, waiting for it to whip out back into sight.

"You're not going to try and go in there?" James pipes up with a smirk as I roll my eyes.

"No, but if you do, don't bother coming back out." As soon as I speak, James vanishes into the clouds and I almost chase after him, feeling oddly insecure about my own tactics now that he has acted differently.

But I manage to control myself, now freely exploring the underneath of the cloud without James' interference. If it were any other season, I might just have followed him up there, but in the dreary month of November, visibility would be poor overhead and no doubt just filled with more dense clouds that only the Snitch can easily manoeuvre through.

Surely enough, moments later, the Snitch darts out of the patch of grey, shooting downward back to the pitch with James still searching for an exit. I quickly shoot after the glistening object with James soon right behind me, far too experienced a Seeker to let poor visibility delay him for more than a few seconds.

"I hope you enjoy that head start I gave you," He calls out as if all of this was his intention and not just another one of his arrogant mistakes. "You're going to need it if you want to even try and beat me."

I grind my teeth together, holding my tongue to stop myself from snapping back at him and becoming distracted by his taunts. Instead follow the snitch along its winding path about the pitch, waiting for the perfect moment to use a burst of energy to propel my broom forward and take victory for the Ravenclaw team. But, James soon appears at my side and my confidence dips a little, catching up with me after I round one of the spectator stands. He must have the same idea as I do, conserving energy until the last push, which means the pair of us will be neck and neck until the last second where one of us can grab the little devil.

"C'mon, you can go faster than that, Dare," He teases, using the nickname he gave me years ago for the first time in months. "Why don't you push ahead now? I won't be able to catch up just yet."

"Just shut up and play the game." I hiss, trying not to let him get to me.

I know what he's doing, his words are trying to push me into using my best efforts now, to burn out before I can catch the Snitch and thus leave it free for him to take. And in some way, I can feel his words getting to me, pushing all the right buttons within me, almost provoking me into becoming fully distracted from my goal. I wipe my mind free of his taunts, assuring myself that his pathetic tactics show just how threatened he is with me here before focusing my attention on the Snitch. James and I follow its winding path, taking any opportunity to deviate away from each other to manoeuvre around the stadium–not to mention the players and bludgers throttling about–in hopes of gaining the upper hand. All the while as we compete furiously, the commentator shouts out the names of players in excitement followed by a flood of sighs as each team fails to score over and over again, the players evenly matched in skill. This only makes me more anxious to catch hold of the Snitch before Potter, my grip on my broom firm as I tune everything out, focusing solely on the Snitch darting around manically.

As if now noticing he isn't getting through to me, James appears to be doing the same, his broom slowly gaining speed ahead of mine, setting him up to use a finally burst to end the game and secure victory for Gryffindor. The Snitch, however, suddenly darts downwards towards the swerving mess of players as if sensing that it was about to be claimed, sending us diving down after it. As it winds through all the figures, expecting us to follow and risk being thrown off our brooms by a stray bludger or an ignorant playing, James–perhaps doing the wise thing for once–pulls up, trying to find access without risking his backside. Despite that I know I should do the same, I keep my pursuit going, finally my skills of being a Chaser and right in the middle of the chaos paying off as I skim passed any collisions with ease.

After narrowly avoiding being whacked by a Beater having lost control of her swing, the Snitch continues straight with me in tow, growing closer to it with every passing moment, praying that it will keep its linear course going just a bit longer. It finally listens to my mental pleas and continues its course, allowing me to get within reaching distance. I take a deep breath before lifting one of my hands free of the broom, tightening my single grip on it to keep myself steady as it wobbles slightly at its new freedom. I stretch my arm out, practically trying to force it out of its socket as my fingers can almost feel the smooth surface of the Snitch. Just a little further and I've got it, just a little further and I've won the game, just a little further and I've proven everyone wrong.

Then, like a scene out of a melodramatic tragedy–which I'm starting to think my life has now become for the amusement of some higher being–everything slips away beneath my fingers in the last second. All I hear is a shout of warning and the booming shout of a bat meeting iron before something slams into my arm, practically tearing through its protective gear. All I can feel is agony as my broom tumbles to the ground with me alongside it, cradling my arm to my chest like the bones supporting it had shattered on impact. I feel the bitter taste of disappointment climb up the back of my throat as I can hear concerned voices surround me, but they are soon overrun by a cheer of victory followed by the nine words I have dreaded hearing;

"And James Potter has caught the Snitch, Gryffindor wins!"


	8. Chapter Eight

_****Author's Note_: I've got a lot of speech in this chapter. xD And character deepening, woop. I didn't want to make this happen, but it had to... You'll see what I mean. xD Enjoy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eight<em>

"_Of course_ she will be fine," Madam Pomfrey snaps at Jude as if his simple question as to my wellbeing has called her medical skills into question. "If there's one thing magic can do, it's mend broken bones. However, as the bruising will not go away so easily, I will be keeping Miss Simmons in overnight so she doesn't risk making her arm any worse."

"That's probably a good idea because as soon as I get out of here, I'm beating the snot out of the person who put me here." I announce, ignoring the matron's stern gaze.

She shakes her head, clearly not fond of the idea of me sending another person to her hospital wing or returning myself after doing my arm in whilst pulverising the bastard. She clears her throat before settling down a glass full of murky liquid on my side table.

"Just remember to keep drinking this," She reminds me, ignoring my comment to the best of her abilities. "I will be back in an hour to check you've finished it."

With that, Madam Pomfrey vanishes back into her office as I grin to myself, watching her shaking her head in disappointment. I turn to Jude, now free from Madam Pomfrey's stern rules, hops up onto the bed next to mine, casually slumping down on it with a smile of his own.

"I wish I'd taken that hit," He muses, stretching himself out before folding his arms behind his head. "Missing class to stay here overnight all pampered is definitely worse a few cuts and bruises."

"Better tell Boot that, maybe next time he'll aim for you." I growl, trying to fold my own arms over my chest to sulk before realising that one of them is restrained in a sling. I curse Madam Pomfrey for not permitting me to emphasise my irritation as Jude leans over onto his side, narrowing his eyes at me.

"You know it was an accident, he wouldn't do that on purpose–"

"Actually, I don't know anything of the sort." I interrupt stubbornly, purposely turning away from him to take a gulp of my drink and avoid his gaze.

I gag as the sour-tasting paste trickles down my throat whilst my stomach tries to force it back up, just as disgusted as my taste buds are over the medicine. Finally managing to keep it down, I turn back to Jude, but his flat expression has not changed. We glare at each other in silence for a while as he wants me to admit that Emmett's aim was a mistake whilst I want him to admit that his best friend is a snivelling prick who I'm going to beat to death with his own bat. Soon, Jude relents, rolling his eyes and collapsing back on the bed, fed up with this mental back and forth.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," I pout, not satisfied with my victory in our staring match. "It's not _my _fault I'm here."

"It's _no one's _fault," He corrects. "It was an _accident_."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I wave him off, not wanting to get into an argument with him that will no doubt end with him being beaten to death with his own Beater's bat. "Where's Manny?"

"Ha!" He scoffs. "You think she'll back you up on your vendetta against Emmett? He's her best friend too, so I wouldn't count on it."

"He's _more_ than her best friend for some reason I can't comprehend. Can't you just sweep her away and confess your love to her or whatever they do in romantic dramas so she can get that idiot out of her head?"

He sighs, not even bothering to deny my accusation of feelings towards Manny whilst closing his eyes as if contemplating my suggestion. My pouting ceases as I watch him curiously, his arms unravelling from beneath his head and force his torso upright. He folds his legs, propping his elbows up onto his knees before resting his head in his hands, his dark curls hiding his expression from me.

"That wouldn't work," He mutters. "She'd probably slap me if I did any confessing of any sort."

"Well that's a bit of an overreaction; I can't exactly imagine her slapping anyone." I reply in disbelief.

"I'd deserve nothing less than a slap."

"Oh yeah, sure, there's nothing more insulting than one of your best friends telling you then love you. Seriously, that's just so offensive."

"You don't understand," He groans as if frustrated by my lack of knowledge around his inner doubts. "Before you probably even considered making friends outside your Potter and Weasley friends and so never noticed us, Manny and I used to date."

"Really?" I blurt, not bothering to deny that whilst I was in my younger years with my group of friends who were practically family–at least that's what I thought–I didn't even bother to acknowledge others. "Then surely that's a good thing, it shows that she's had feelings for you once. That means she could have them again."

"If she did, she'd be an idiot," He states, slumping his shoulders forward and sighing once again. "I was an arse so there's no reason to trust me to act like anything but one again."

"When were you dating?"

"About halfway through fourth for a few months."

"That's ages ago, whatever you did, I'm sure she's over it now," I say with a small smile. "I mean if she can be your best friend, surely she has put whatever happened behind her."

"She's friends with practically everyone; she couldn't just cut me out, especially seeing as Emmett would've stuck by me if she did," Silence falls for a few moments as he pauses, straightening his body upright and turning to face me, letting his long legs dangle off the side of the bed. "At fourteen and fifteen, it's pretty great for girls to like you instead of all the older guys waltzing around like they own everything. Whilst my classmates were still awkwardly making their way through puberty, I was out of the worst of it and ready for whatever was coming my way,"

"And that ended up being Manny. Being one of the youngest in our year, she hadn't quite _matured _to the size she is now, but I was still more than happy to have her on my arm. She wasn't the first girl I had dated, but I was her first. She was shy and reserved about everything she hadn't experienced; our relationship went at a snail's pace yet somehow she was finding herself more and more invested in it,"

"When we were getting towards summer, a time when I usually spend a month or so visiting my dad who happens to live in a place practically overflowing with single girls, I was considering where to go with our relationship. I mean I liked Manny, she was beautiful even then and a lot of fun to be around, but I had only had my fifteenth birthday a few months ago by then and by no means was I ready for anything _serious_," By now I can see where this story is going and almost want him to stop, not wanting to hear anything that might make me hate him just as much as Emmett, but I let him continue nonetheless.

"So when she tried to tell me she _loved _me, me only fifteen and her only fourteen, I did the first thing that came to my head; I ran. Safe to say, she caught up with me sooner than I anticipated as there aren't many places to hide in the Ravenclaw common room. Then I ended it, just like that," He bows his head, ashamed. "Now you see why if _I _say anything like that to her, she owes me nothing, no courtesy, no gentle words. A slap is a pretty fitting response to the guy who dumped you when you claimed him as your first love suddenly confessing feelings for you years later."

"I'm pretty sure I'd knee you in the groin instead." I add, unsure of how to respond to all of this.

"At least I know Emmett doesn't think of her as anything beside a friend so I don't have to watch my best friend date Manny." He says with a shrug as if it somehow makes things better for him.

"Well, you're going to have to watch her date other people anyway and you kind of deserve that slap in the face," I reply with a half-smile. "So why don't you just tell her? At least it'll be out in the open and, after you get what you deserve, the two of you can talk about it. She's not going to run away from you, it's Manny we're talking about. Maybe she can help you move on."

"Maybe." He murmurs.

"Okay, enough mushy relationship talk," I state, already feeling disgust towards my own borderline romantic words imploring him to admit his feelings to Manny. "Let's talk about something that doesn't make me want to vomit."

"Such as?"

"I don't know. How about where Manny actually is seeing as you got all snippy when I asked before?" I suggest with an arch of my eyebrows.

He laughs, leaning back onto the bed, returning to his relaxed position once again with a smile.

"You're not going to be happy when I tell you where she is." He teases as it's now my turn to roll my eyes at his immaturity.

"Just tell me."

"Are you _sure_?" His smile twists into a smirk.

"Okay, I will slap you for Manny in a minute if you don't stop it and tell me." I threaten before he throws his hands in the air as if surrendering.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you," He lowers his voice to a whisper as if telling me top secret information, his smirk not faltering for a single second. "She had me stay here and distract you so she can bring Emmett over to talk to you."

"What?" I stare at him dumbfounded before snarling. "So that little sob story was all made up to keep me busy and distracted? Well it didn't work, I'm not going to talk to that twat nor am I going to talk to you any longer."

"Oh grow up, you need to hear it from him that it was an accident," He grins. "Besides, I wasn't lying. What happened with Manny was true, it was just lucky that it kept you distracted long enough for her to get here with Emmett."

Before I can even ask what he means seeing as neither Manny nor Emmett are here, the Filipino in question bursts into the hospital wing, her petite form scurrying towards me. Her ebony locks flutter behind her rushing figure, her side-swept bangs skimming just over her almond-shaped eyes that are filled with concern. Anyone else observing this moment might think I am a terminal patient as she scrambles to my bedside as fast as her legs can carry her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here," She pants, eyeing the sling supporting my arm with a frown. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I'm not going to talk to Emmett." I state firmly.

"What? How did you–Jude!" She shouts as he just shrugs sheepishly.

"I'm sorry; she beat it out of me." He lies with a sly smirk.

"Where is he then? You'd better tell him to bugger off." I add, feeling an odd sense of betrayal at the fact that the two of them conspired to bring my foe to me when I can't beat the living daylights out of him.

"He's just outside," Manny replies softly, her gaze falling to the ground as she knits her fingers together. I instantly feel a pang of guilt for snapping at her, but keep strong in my refusal to speak to him. "Look, it's not his fault, honest."

When I don't reply, she continues speaking, but her voice is soft and full of shame whilst her eyes never leave the ground.

"The Gryffindors were racing down field and when possession of the Quaffle became ours, I thought I could race down before they could return to their defensive positions. I don't know what happened back there, but I didn't know the Bludger was coming up behind me until Ju-Ju shouted out and Emmett nearly collided with me, just barely managing to beat the thing away," Now she slumps her shoulders forward, sighing as she speaks. "He was just trying to stop me from ending up with a concussion; he was just hitting it as far away as he could _without_ any aiming. I swear."

"I suppose that's his alibi, but how do you know he's right and I'm wrong? What makes what he says any more true than what I say?" I remind her, trying to stick to my resolve and not cave in under the weight of the guilt for making her wear such a sad expression.

"Just talk to him, Darcy. You're our friend, but so is he and you can't keep sticking us in the middle of you two," Jude intercepts sharply, climbing to his feet to stand alongside Manny. "We're leaving, if you want him to go, you'll have to tell him that."

"I'll check on you later," Manny squeaks as Jude presses a hand to the small of her back, guiding her out of the room despite the fact that she clearly wants to stay and check if I'm alright. "And don't worry, none of us blame you for what happened, we know it was an accident."

I slouch in my hospital bed as I hear them slip through the doors out into the corridor, soon followed by muffled whispers and a groan of irritation, which no doubt is coming from Emmett who is lack as much enthusiasm as I do about talking to one another. After a few minutes, the door heaves open and his tall figure enters the room, his bright blue eyes narrowed into an irked look as he mutters to himself. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his slacks, slowly making his way towards me, sulking like a child being forced to do something they don't want to by their mother. Soon enough, he is beside me, his toned arms folded over his chest, wrinkling his otherwise finely pressed uniform.

"How are you feeling?" He asks curtly, staring at the wall across the room instead of glancing my way as his lips are pressed into a firm expression.

"Oh I'm fantastic, you must be practically giddy about what you pulled off, you even managed to convince those two it was an accident," I sneer. "In fact, I bet you will convince everyone it's somehow _my _fault and throw me off the team."

He just rolls his eyes at me, opening his mouth to respond, but I cut him off quickly.

"Save your excuses. I have to admit, pretty good plan. A couple more hits to my arm and I won't be able to play Quidditch let alone feed myself so I might as well quit now, right?" I glare at him furiously as I speak. "Well I'm not giving this up, not now, not ever. Do whatever you want, give me a concussion, throw hexes my way in the dead of night, snap my broom in half, but I'm not leaving that Quidditch pitch no matter what. So give up now."

"You _actually _think I did that on purpose? Are you fucking delusional?" He snaps, clearly fed up with my accusations now.

"I _know _you did. So just go, we're done talking now."

"You're _unbelievably _self-absorbed, do you know that?" His question startles me, my glare becoming a look of shock for a moment before returning to its livid look. "Do you really think I'd sacrifice my team's winning, my reputation as a Captain, and my reputation as a Beater for _you_? Just to get rid of you, the girl I _just _appointed Seeker? Do you realise how stupid that is? Or are you just a silly, naive little girl?"

It's now my turn to wear the look of shock that James had earlier, my mouth agape as I stare wide-eyed at the Ravenclaw who I should, in retrospect, be beating to a pulp right now. I'm not sure how to respond or even where to begin because in some strange way, I _almost _believe him. The longer the silence between us lasts, the more desperate I am for a response.

Should I snap at him? Should I just start the violence now and whack him around the face with the nearest thing to me? Should I tell him he's wrong? Or should I tell him he's right? Should I trust him, even though I have no reason to, just like I want Manny to trust Jude? Should I be the mature one and put this all behind me?

"What?" That is all I manage to stutter out with all these questions whirling through my mind.

"You heard me just fine." He growls.

"I..." I reluctantly meet his piercing eyes as he runs a hand through his messy dark brown locks, growing more impatient by the second for my answer. But I realise I have no answer and quickly bow my head, hiding my shame beneath my blonde curtains of hair. "I told you to go, Emmett, we're done talking."

"Fine, no complaints here, but when you decide to grow up, we've got Quidditch practice tomorrow," He says as I can hear him stomping towards the door before pausing as he pulls it from its frame. "But for the record, it _was _an accident and I _am _sorry."

* * *

><p>Who knows how much time had passed since Emmett left, it felt like hours to me, but for all I know it could have been longer or shorter. Either way, his words still run fresh in my mind as I lie back and stare up at the ceiling, tracing the lines of the stonework with my eyes. I still don't have an answer for him and I'm not even sure if I ever will. I was so caught up in my anger and even more so the bitter disappointment of failure after all of my hard work, that I didn't even consider that anything could have been an accident. I needed someone to blame, I needed it to be deliberate so I could make sure it could never happen again, there was no room for accidents in my mind at the time.<p>

I guess I know he is right, he wanted to win just as badly as I–and no doubt the rest of the team–did, so he wouldn't sacrifice that just to get back at me. But he is also wrong, I'm not self-centred, I didn't think that because I think everything is about me. I thought that because everyone I depended on once upon a time abandoned me as soon as James Potter black marked me, because only two people have stood by me and supported me thus far in my bid to be Seeker, so I didn't expect anyone else to support me. I expected everyone to oppose me and failure in the first game would've been the perfect chance to kick the girl everyone opposed off the team.

I groan to myself, trying to clear my head of these thoughts and focus on the odd game I've made out of trailing after the lines and cracks overhead. But somewhere in the back of my head, his words remain and I know I'll have to talk to him eventually, to do the something I dread; admit I was wrong _and_ apologise for being so standoffish. I feel almost physically sick at the idea of doing such a thing seeing as he still owes me various apologies for being a right arse over the last month or so, but he _did _apologise for what happened today so I owe him one apology back.

Thankfully, before I can debate the matter further, the doors to the hospital wing swing open, but when I look up to see my visitor, I realise he isn't welcome here. Potter struts through the room, a smirk on his lips as his dark eyes examine my arm. He reaches the end of my bed, curling his fingers around it and leaning towards me, chuckling away at my expense.

"Looks like someone's done quite a number on you, Dare," He taunts. "I'll have to thank Boot for his contribution to my cause."

"Don't call me that, Potter," I retort, contemplating grabbing the nearest thing to me–which could be my empty cup–and lobbing it at him. "And bugger off, I don't want you here."

"Oh but you see, as a Head Boy, I have full right to check up on any one of my Gryffindors stuck in this dreary wing," He reminds me as if I am somehow jealous of his position. "And you'd better watch your language; you wouldn't want me to give you a detention, now would you?"

"A detention? That's the best you can manage?" I ask before barking out a cruel laugh. "That's pathetic, looks like without your two lackeys with you, you can't achieve all too much. Speaking of which, where are Tweedledum and Tweedledee?"

"At dinner," He replies curtly, unaffected by my comments. "Now that you're out of the way, Cassair has free access to that little Filipino girl, _Manny _as you call her."

"He might as well not bother and find himself another girl to mount; Jude will slaughter him before he can get within arm distance of Manny."

"Just like Boot did to you when you were within arm distance of the Snitch? Hmm?" He shakes his head in disapproval. "Those pesky Ravenclaws really aren't very trustworthy, now are they?"

"Oh and you are? Get off your high horse and get out," I jeer, growing tired of his taunts. "Besides, he didn't hit the Bludger my way on purpose, so just drop it. Oh wait, just drop it _and leave_."

He bursts out into laughter as if I have just told a first-class joke and I'm now considering risking breaking my arm again just to break him into silence.

"You actually believed his bullshit about it being an accident," He exclaims in disbelief. "Now I get it, you're just an ignorant girl without me."

"Leave before I make you leave!" I shout, fed up of all of this and just wanting to get my rest.

My words echo through the hall and within seconds, Madam Pomfrey bursts out of her room, scurrying towards me to check I am alright. She spots James seconds later, glancing from me to him before noting my infuriated expression.

"Okay, Mister Potter, time to go," She states, shooing him away from my bed. "Visiting hours are over now, Miss Simmons needs her rest."

"Alright, but don't worry, Dare, I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." He says with a wink before disappearing into the hallway.

"Great, can't wait." I mutter to myself, collapsing back into bed as Madam Pomfrey collects up my empty glass.

"Make sure you just rest and relax right now." She reminds me as I groan once again in distress.

Once she leaves the room, I tuck myself beneath the blanket stretched across the bed, flopping onto my side and sliding my eyes shut. I can hear the taunts of Potter competing with Boot's words swarming around my mind, refusing to let me fall into any sort of sleep. All I want is to be left alone to sleep, to be free of Potter's irritating presence and soon enough I am as the voice of the Ravenclaw triumphs, echoing softly through my psyche, guiding me into blissful slumber.


	9. Chapter Nine

_Author's Note: _Bah, this was one of those chapters that I was sort of stumped about. This sort of had to set up stuff for later chapters, but not all that much happens, etc. I guess it's a filler, maybe that's why I got so annoyed writing it. Grrr. Buh, I'm also super tired. It's nearly 1am. XD Also my letter format was messed up a bit on upload onto here so if any lines are not in the right place, I'll fix them tomorrow morning. xD

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nine<em>

I pinch my fair features together, wincing as I tug on my uniform, jolts of pain bursting from the sickly green-tinged bruise stretching across my forearm. Madam Pomfrey scolds me, quickly rushing to my side to tuck me into my clothes. She straightens my tie as I roll my eyes, her nurturing behaviour making me feel like a two-year-old who can't even tie her own shoelaces.

"Take it easy today, Miss Simmons," She warns me with her expression firm. "Your arm is still bruised and you don't want to make it worse, do you?"

I shake my head and spot my glass on the bedside table, still half full of the murky healing drink Pomfrey had been giving me all night. The matron soon catches my gaze, noticing the glass for herself and shaking her head. She snatches it up before handing it to me with a frown on her thin lips.

"You had better drink this or I will keep you here for another night," Her nurturing tone from moments ago is now stern as she stares me down. "It's for your own good."

I snarl, mimicking her before glugging down what lingers in the glass, the vile taste making my insides crawl, a chill running up my spine. Shaking off the shivers, I pull my hair back out of my features, letting a few messy layers of gold fall free from the hair tie along with my side-swept bangs. I groan as I drag myself to my feet, hopping down off the hospital bed and glancing over my shoulder at Madam Pomfrey. She nods, giving me silent permission to rush off to breakfast in the Great Hall before giving me one last warning glance towards my arm and vanishing back into her office.

I quickly depart from the hospital wing, my robes billowing about me as I struggle to keep myself from running at full speed down the halls. I am desperate to get to breakfast, to fill up my grumbling stomach, to ready myself for the Quidditch practice after. Not to mention I hope some food will silence the butterflies fluttering within me at the thought of facing everyone, not so much the Gryffindor table though, but more so my Ravenclaw teammates. I wonder if they will blame me, seeing as they would be idiots to put the blame on their Captain, the guy who controls their own positions on the team. So the only other person they can blame is me, which no doubt makes most of them more than happy as I am still the unwelcomed guest in their team.

I enter the hall, a few other late arriving students dotted about me, disappearing to their own respective tables which are otherwise completely full. I slink over to the Gryffindor one, sliding onto the end of the table where an empty plate sits, those around me several years my junior and lost in their own bubbling conversations. I'm happy with the youngsters not noticing me though, allowing me to eat in peace without anyone bringing up the Quidditch match to either question or ridicule me over. I pile food onto my plate, trying to do as much as I can with my free arm as per Madam Pomfrey's orders, but soon enough I end up shovelling food here and there with both appendages. Once my plate is practically overflowing, I dig in, each bite of glorious yet homely food washing away the revolting taste of medical syrup and bringing rustic warmth to my body.

However, when I devour the remains of my pork sausages and move onto the eggs sprawled across the brim of my plate, whispers start to pick up along the Gryffindor table. I don't have to look up from my meal to know I'm the subject of conversation and being looked at by various pairs of eyes as I can practically feel them on me, my skin crawling in discomfort. I try to concentrate on what to do at Quidditch practice, how to approach the team, how to stop myself from ploughing my fist through someone's face if they try and blame me for what happened. I wonder how to go about apologising for my assumption yesterday whilst making sure Emmett and anyone who may blame me know that I am otherwise not in the wrong

Unfortunately, the whispers bleed through my thoughts and soon I can hear obnoxious laughter several seats down from where I am. I recognise the sound of the group chortling away at my misfortune, well-aware that it is James Potter and his pals having a right laugh at my expense. I want to look up, to see who is joining him in his mockery, to see if the ones I called friends for several years are also chuckling away or if it's just James and his two closest friends. But I stop myself, instead focusing on my food as I stab away at it, taking out my anger and frustration on my unsuspecting eggs.

I can't look up. I won't look up. I can't torture myself, I can't risk giving myself hope that they may still be my friends if they aren't laughing or giving myself heartbreak if they are giggling away at my expense, lost to me forever. Looking up will just hurt me either way, yet somehow I find myself tilting away from my meal, slowly giving into the temptation, my eyes skimming along the table to where the laughter is emanating from.

Suddenly, a screech interrupts my almost trance-like state and I quickly drop my head, my heart beating violently in my chest as if it is about to burst free of my ribcage. I silently thank the mysterious sound for saving me when suddenly another screech follows seconds later, then another, and another. Soon a whole chorus of cries is echoing through the Great Hall as owls pour into the room, swerving left and right in search of students. Various letters and packages are held in their claws as they swoop down to the recipients, dropping the deliveries either into the recipient's hands or food. As several Gryffindors fish letters out of their breakfasts, wiping off smears of food whilst cursing their owls with a frown, a small white envelope flutters elegantly into my own clutches.

The owl delivering it to me vanishes when I look up to try and identify it, hoping that by identifying it I may figure out who this letter is from. Dropping my gaze back to the envelope, I inspect the seal, half-expecting the whole thing to explode if I try and open it as some sort of cruel gag from Potter and his friends. I turn it over and breathe a sigh of relief, every muscle in my body relaxing as I recognise the slanted cursive penmanship of my muggle mother.

I smile to myself as I tear the envelope open, no longer fearing the idea that any magical trick may be concealed within. I retrieve the letter, unfolding it to confirm that it is indeed from my mother. My smile expands; this letter could not have come at a better time as nothing makes me happier than hearing from my family, especially with Christmas break still some time away. I slowly begin reading the cursive neatly placed across the page, my mother's voice echoing through my mind as I go.

_Hello Sweetheart,_

_Your brother tells me we have something to celebrate seeing as I'm always the last to know everything. When were you going to tell your little old mother about your new Quidditch team and position? Were you expecting me to just figure this out on my own? I'm afraid when I told you your mother could do anything, I wasn't quite being honest. Congratulations, Darcy, from both Dean and I, we're sure you'll be a wonderful Seeker and please let us know how the first match goes._

I stifle a laugh as I know my brother has been helping Mum write this letter already. Even with my late father's Quidditch career, my mum still cannot understand how the game works and her terminology, along with her knowledge of how it is played and its rules, is extremely limited. Dean, however, shares my passion for Quidditch and probably jumped at the idea of being able to explain another position beyond Chaser to my mum. With a shake of my head and a wider smile, I continue reading.

_As I'm sure you've figured out already, Dean has been trying to teach me all about Quidditch. Maybe I'll know enough about it soon enough to actually attend one of your matches and understand what's going on so I won't jump up and cheer at the wrong moments. I hope you are enjoying your new position and I know you're going to do brilliantly; after all, you are your father's daughter. Dean is also dying to discuss tactics with you now that you've got an insight into a new Quidditch position._

_I myself would like to discuss how your final year is going; I know it was hard at first with your friends, something I found out from your brother once again. I swear these owls always deliver his letters first, if only we could use email to contact each other like my other friends do their daughters. At least then I wouldn't have to hear everything from Dean, although I'd have to actually use the computer on a regular basis. If your school ever does pick up the internet, let me know, but until then, please let me know how everything is going, even if it's through an owl. _

_Everything has been good out here; your brother is now working from home, although I doubt any work is actually done seeing as he spends most of his time out with friends. I've started making plans for the Christmas and Easter holidays and although I know you must want to come home and visit, Sweetie, I think you should stay at school. It's your last year, you need to concentrate and interact with people who are also stuck at school studying away. And it'll be your last Christmas and Easter at school, so you should make the best of your last free moments at school before your exams._

_Your brother and I may visit my parents down in the Channel Islands for Christmas as well, a place where you wouldn't exactly be able to study magic very freely. I'm sorry, Sweetie, I know you must be disappointed and if you really don't want to stay, you can come with us. But just think about it, I'd hate for you to leave and regret missing out on things at school. _

_Good luck with Quidditch and your classes, Dean and I are so proud of you. We hope to hear from you soon._

_Love,_

_Mum xxx_

* * *

><p>I can feel the folded up remains of my mother's letter crinkle in my pocket as I speed walk through the winding corridors of the Hogwarts Castle, decked out proudly in my Ravenclaw Quidditch uniform, no longer hiding my position on the team of a house opposing my own. In fact, I don't even notice the odd looks I am getting from the students I pass as I head towards practice, my mind still battling itself over the letter stuffed into my pocket. I know my mum is right and staying at school is a good idea, but there's also nothing I dread more than staying at school over the holidays. Most, if not all, of my house dislikes me–or at least acts like they do–and chances are the only two friends I have in the school won't even be here over the holidays.<p>

So I'll spend my time off by myself, my birthday and Christmas by myself. Although I am used to not being with my family over my birthday because it is towards the end of Christmas break, it doesn't mean I like it, especially without my group of Gryffindor friends to keep me company. Back then we would just stay up until dawn in the common room, chatting away about all kinds of things and eating sweets until we end up in food comas. Unfortunately, all those things won't happen this year if I stay over Christmas, which I'm pretty sure I will be doing even though I don't want to because I'd rather stay at school than stress my widowed mother out over me trying to study for classes at my magical boarding school in her muggle parents' home around their muggle friends.

Right now, I wish more than I do most days for my dad to still be here, to coach me on my Quidditch, to help me study for my final year, to teach me the techniques he developed when he was in my position to aid juggling both education and Quidditch. To just be here, to understand and help me like my mother cannot, like I'd never expect my mother to because she can still barely wrap her head around magic and its existence, let alone help me with my magical struggles.

I sigh as I slouch my shoulders forward, sliding my hands into my pockets to clutch my letter with the memory of my father echoing through my mind. But before a tear can break through my strong façade, the weight of an arm is slung across my shoulders and my heart skips a beat. I almost expect my father to be beside me in some foolish way when I rip my eyes open, but instead find Jude smirking widely as he leans against me as if I am an arm rest. When I look to my other side, I find Manny there, shaking her head at Jude with a laugh.

"Where did you two come from?" I immediately ask to mask my distress, lifting my hands out of my pockets to abandon my mother's letter.

"Oh dear, I've been dreading having this chat with you, Darce. But you see when a mummy and a daddy really like each other..." Jude teases, ruffling his fingers through my hair, making tuffs of it fall out of the ponytail they were once secured in.

"You're hilarious," I mutter, slapping his hand away and retreating to the other side of Manny as if she is a human shield. "Maybe you should go back to wherever you came from."

"Gee, aren't we hostile today? Well, more so than usual," He prods. "What's on your mind, Blondie?"

"Shut up, Ju-Ju," Manny advises, playfully shoving him before I can pounce on him like a lion on an unsuspecting infant for calling me _Blondie_. "_You _are more nosey than usual today."

"I'm never nosey, just curious," He corrects, dusting himself off with a grin. "Besides, I already know all of your secrets so now I've got to prod my way into Darce's secret business."

"The whole point of secrets is no one knows them," I state. "So I'd give up on that mission."

"And since when do you know all of _my _secrets?" Manny pipes suspiciously, glancing from me to him as if I might have told Jude about her crush on Emmett, unaware that he–and probably several others–had figured it out for himself.

"I have my ways and that's one of my many secrets that neither of you will ever know."

"Well I'll just ask Emmett, I'm sure he knows." She challenges stubbornly.

"He won't tell you anything, Manny, so you'd best give up," Jude says, patting her on the top of her head patronisingly before glancing over her at me. "Speaking of which, how did your chat go yesterday?"

Manny's interest shifts immediately as she turns to me, eyes wide, eyebrows arched, lips pressed into a small hopeful smile. She is now desperate to learn the secrets of my encounter with Emmett yesterday, one which I'm _still _not sure how to react to.

"He seemed a bit off when he got to dinner, I hope everything was okay," She squeaks. "I came to check if you were alright before curfew, but you were already asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"Well, that's his problem," I say with a shrug, more interested in how he will be at Quidditch practice today than how he was at dinner last night. "And yeah, sorry, my unwanted visitor sort of wore me out."

"Someone came to visit you besides us?" Jude blurts with a horrified look on his face. "Since when do you have other friends? Or even acquaintances?"

"I don't, hence the word _unwanted_," I repeat myself before groaning as I remember the events. "Potter decided to grace the hospital wing with his presence last night to poke some fun at me when I was too bedridden to beat the snot out of him for it."

"How pathetic," Manny rolls her eyes. "He needs to grow up. If he spent half as much time as he does torturing you on his school work and just generally being a better person, he'd be a whole lot more likable."

"A guy like that won't ever be 'likeable'," Jude corrects before I can. "He's not worth your time or consideration, Manny, and neither are his friends."

I nod in agreement, well-aware that her good nature no doubt makes her want to see the good in the snivelling trio of brats. She shakes her head in disagreement, stray strands of hair slapping her caramel features at the sharp movement.

"Those two boys are just standing by James; I bet if he were Emmett, we'd do the same."

"You're actually empathising with them?" I ask in bewilderment, almost tempted to slap some sense into her.

"I'm not saying it's right or fair on you, Darce, but I guess I can understand," She replies gently, her voice almost a whisper as if she fears how we will react to her words. "I mean we are happy to antagonise James and his friends for doing wrong to you. Those two are doing the same thing in some ways, they think you did James wrong and so antagonise you."

"So what? I should just forgive them and not notice?"

"I'm not saying that at all. They're still in the wrong and all three are acting like arses," Manny quickly adds. "But I'm just saying, James Potter is the main force behind all of this, his friends are just sort of falling in line. They shouldn't do so and it's unfair, but that doesn't mean they are to blame as much as James is or as bad as he is."

"Trust me, all three are arseholes regardless," I state with a frown. "I spent over a year around the trio exclusively, so I know how they really are better than most."

A stiff silence falls between all three of us as we make our way towards Quidditch practice, Jude now walking in the middle of Manny and I. Although I understand that Manny is good-natured and almost naive in some ways towards these boys, I still feel shocked that she is almost defending them. They don't deserve defence or understanding, especially not from her.

Soon enough we arrive at practice where the rest of the team stands, creating a mesh of deep blues and bronze amongst the chilled November fog. But when we come into focus, silence falls and all eyes narrow into sharp glares directed at yours truly. The tension is thicker than the fog that has gathered along the pitch as each Ravenclaw is willing me to drop dead on the spot. Emmett clears his throat, stepping forward with an almost surprised expression at me being present. Perhaps he expected me _not _to 'grow up' as he put it and attend practice today.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start practice," Emmett announces in a booming tone, demanding the attention of every living thing in the area. "And don't think we won't be training as much as possible just because of the winter weather. In fact, we're going to train longer and harder than before, we _need _to be at the top of our game next match."

"Then we should chuck the Gryffindor," A voice announces from the group, the speaker nervously concealing themselves amongst others, lacking confidence in their own announcement. "I mean she is injured."

Everyone nods in agreement except for the Ravenclaw duo beside me and Emmett, whose eyebrows knit together in concentration, his lips pursed into a firm line. He steps into the centre of attention once again, his tall figure standing between me and where the voice came from, preventing me from pummelling whoever spoke.

"To work to the best of our abilities, we need to sort this out," He states sternly before gesturing from me to himself. "Do you think what happened last match is Simmons' fault or my own?"

There is a unanimous chorus of my name, dubbing me responsible for what happened as I bite back the urge to blurt out a statement of '_I told you so' _or '_I knew it'. _I also immediately wipe away any thoughts of apologising to Emmett seeing as he just set me up to be named as responsible, I mean, no one here is dumb enough to name their Captain as such. Even Jude and Manny don't, instead they remain quiet, opting to treat the whole incident as an accident and therefore no one's fault.

"Well, you're wrong. It wasn't my fault _or _hers, it was an _accident_," He corrects as most of my teammates now either look ashamed or shocked whilst Jude and I remain reserved and Manny simply smiles in admiration, her smile growing with each word Emmett says. "And if any of you actually want to win any matches from now on, you have to accept Simmons as a_ crucial_ member of this team. It was _my _choice as _Captain _to make her Seeker and I've never given you reason to question my judgement before. So if any of you think she is unsuited, then you clearly don't trust your Captain to do what's best for this team."


	10. Chapter Ten

_Author's Note: _This chapter caused me so much rage. I was sort of fumbling to try and figure out what to put in this chapter. It wasn't fun. But after a while, writing it started to get easier and such once I got down all the necessary information and could just have fun with the interaction between characters. ^^ Anyway, enough rambling, off we go.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Ten<em>

"Thanks for that." I mumble as I brush by Emmett after he finishes his speech in defence of his decision to make me Seeker.

He now is ordering everyone into their respective positions for training and I take the opportunity to mutter to him as I move to my own designated area. I wrap my arms around my waist as he glances at me in confusion, my broom secured between my arm and my side.

"For what you said," I correct myself, trying to stop myself from gagging at what I am about to say, practically wanting to wash my mouth out with soap for being pleasant to him. "And I'm sorry about yesterday."

He whips around to face me fully now, his eyebrows arched and startling eyes widened to form a shocked expression. He folds his toned arms over his torso, smirking as he speaks, finally registering what I have said.

"I must be hearing things, I swear I just heard an apology from you, Simmons," I roll my eyes, turning my back to him as he continues, various teammates of ours now tuning into the conversation. "So you'd best set me straight and repeat what you just said."

"Oh I'd be more than happy to repeat myself for you, Captain," I say in a faux tone of sincerity with an equally false sweet smile on my lips, now turning to face him and walking backwards into my assigned position. "You see, what I really said was _fuck you_."

My smile becomes a smirk like his as I flash him a profane hand signal to accompany my foul mouth. He shakes his head at me as if I am a small child, chuckling to himself before waving me off as I settle into my niche. My expression becomes one of disinterest as he begins instructing each of us, now focusing entirely on training us to work as a unit, especially in relation to me. And the Ravenclaws–albeit begrudgingly–comply with his orders, not daring to contradict the judgement of the Captain.

Luckily, this spineless behaviour soon pays off for me because as the constant training sessions that Emmett forces onto us until we are on the verge of passing out progress so does my relationships with my teammates. Although the Ravenclaws and I are not anything more than acquaintances–with the exception of Manny and Jude who seem to become even closer friends every time I see them–by the time our second Quidditch match comes along, I am no longer greeted with glares and cold shoulders. Instead we all gather together, trading tactics in our huddle before dispersing onto the pitch, ready to take on the awaiting Hufflepuff team.

Everyone is hopped up on adrenaline, me more so than most as my heart races so fast I fear it may just stop, I am desperate to prove my worth as Seeker, to make up for the disaster at the Gryffindor game. Not to mention only a few days earlier, Gryffindor won their match against Slytherin thanks to a so-called heroic move by James Potter. This fact coupled with my adrenaline high-driven determination sends me zooming about the pitch, stopping at nothing to get my hands on the Snitch. As if my luck is finally turning, I snatch up the Snitch from just under the nose of the opposing Seeker, claiming the first victory for the Ravenclaw team and when I dismount my broom, I am met with unfamiliar cheers from my teammates.

The win revitalises the team and their faith in my talents, leading Jude and Manny to approach me after our latest gruelling training session. With sweat on our brows, they invite me to join them in Hogsmeade the following day to celebrate with the rest of our year who are heading down for Christmas shopping. Needing to shop for presents as well and eager to spend more time with my two friends, I eagerly agree, leading me to where I am now.

I climb out of bed with excitement, barely able to sleep with the overwhelming anticipation of finally spending time outside of a school setting with my friends like I used to with my Gryffindor comrades. With the rest of my roommates still fast asleep on the weekend morning, I quickly dress myself for the below freezing early December weather. I tug on a pair of slim-fitting black jeans with thermal socks hidden beneath, pulled up to my knees before stuffing my sock-clad feet into my old scuffed up converse shoes. I slip my curvaceous torso into a white top before pulling an ashen-coloured woollen jumper over it, the colour matching the woollen gloves encasing my hands, protecting them against my poor circulation. I slip on my long black coat, pulling the faux fur-lined hood over my head of messily layered blonde hair, hoping my many layers of clothing will protect me against the freezing cold.

Fully clothed, I bolt out of the dorm just as Roxanne Weasley is stirring from her slumber, breathing a sigh of relief when I find the common room empty of any other members of the Potter and Weasley clans. Even with my new rapport with the Ravenclaws, James Potter has not left me be, instead opting to continue tormenting me in his own twisted ways with Cassair and Gabriel at his sides. With my fast-paced walk, I soon find Manny and Jude standing with the other early rising students, waiting for their respective friends to join them and depart to Hogsmeade.

Manny has dressed herself in a pair of white-washed, skin-tight jeans tucked into a pair of cream-coloured boots which cut off just below her knees. Beneath her winter coat sits an off-the-shoulder sweater of an ivory colour with a pastel multicoloured scarf wrapped around her neck, maintaining her body heat. She is rubbing her hand-knit mitten-encased hands together and shaking her head, trying to keep herself warm as her long ebony hair falls free of any ties to frame her sun-kissed features, her side-swept bangs skimming above her almond-shaped eyes.

Her bright attire is incredibly out of place compared to Jude and me with our dark colour scheme despite our fair complexions. His towering figure is dressed in a pair of hazardously torn jeans–apparently he is unaffected by the nipping cold–held in place sagging about his hips by a plain, black leather belt with the unkempt hems falling about the combat boots his feet are stuffed into. Beneath an unbuttoned black and dark ashen coloured flannel top he wears a monstrously tight dark shirt that clings to the dips and curves of his well-defined torso. He has also donned a grey beanie with several of his loose black ringlets poking free from the hat to frame his face.

"You are aware that it is bloody freezing outside, right, Jude?" I question, noting his inappropriate attire.

"It's really not," He says with a shrug. "Maybe you two girls are just too delicate to handle the weather."

"Oh right, because I'm _really _delicate," I snarl. "I hope you get frost bite."

"He will if he keeps dressing like _that_," Manny pipes, her voice shaking slightly as she shivers. "I can't wait to head down to Hogsmeade, some walking will really warm me up."

She rubs her mitten-clad hands against her hourglass sides, trying to generate some sort of warmth from the friction. Jude laughs, slinging an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side, letting his heightened body heat flood into her. He then extends an arm to me, smirking widely.

"You must be cold too, Darce," He teases. "I've got room for you here too."

"Yeah, no thanks," I slap his arm away. "But we can head down to Hogsmeade now, I'm ready."

"We still have to wait for Emmett." Manny says as her shuddering subsides.

"What?" I groan, wanting nothing more than to throw a strop like a small child not getting their way. "Why is he coming with us?"

"He's our friend." She defends.

"Well, he's not mine." I pout.

I guess I should be used to these setups as Jude and Manny have spent the last few weeks trying to spur a friendship between Emmett and me, seeing his defence of my position on his Quidditch team as hope. Manny often goes for a more subtle technique whereas Jude is far blunter, leading me to believe that springing Emmett's invite to our day out was his suggestion. He grins as if noticing my realisation, seemingly proud of his achievement.

"He's not your friend _yet_," Jude corrects as I glare at him furiously, wishing him to drop dead on the spot. He simply looks over my shoulder and lets his grin widen. "Hey Emmy, don't you look beautiful? I see all that time in the bathroom with us waiting here really paid off."

"If only you could learn to look _this_ good." I hear Emmett's voice in an unfamiliar joking tone that drops seconds later, indicating that he has now spotted me amongst his friends.

I shoot Jude another glare before glancing Emmett's way, trying my hardest not to snap at him for his now firm expression and lack of interest in my presence. He too stands tall, roughly the same height as Jude–although they simply tower over Manny and I regardless of who is the taller of the two–his chiselled form compressed into more appropriate winter clothing.

He dons a long-sleeved shirt with the emblem of a professional European Quidditch team printed on the chest along with a pair of slim fit jeans and a pair of combat boots matching that of his closest friend. His choppy dark chocolate hair is tucked beneath a knit cap with several fringes of his dark tangles still visible to frame his handsome features. A silver chain is slung around his neck with a flat, round charm hanging from it, engraved with the letter W in an elegant cursive style. I've noticed he never removes this odd treasure, not even for Quidditch, instead opting to slide it safely beneath his clothes like a good luck charm.

"Now that everyone's here, we can head off." Manny exclaims happily, slicing through the awkward tension with her bubbly personality.

"Well then, Manny," Emmett replies with a soft smile breaking through his stern expression. "Lead the way."

* * *

><p>"Loosen up mate," Jude taunts, slapping a hand around Emmett's shoulder as the four of us shuffle into The Three Broomsticks. "I'll even buy your first drink."<p>

"You'd better extend that offer to the rest of us." Manny says with a playful smile, shaking off the flakes of snow sprinkled across her from our journey through the harsh weather.

"Of course," He replies coyly, glancing about the smoky room crowded with the bustling figures of young witches and wizards. "But one of you lovely ladies will have to accompany me to the bar."

"Darcy will go with you," She quickly volunteers me without my consent; although her decision is perfectly fine with me as I'd rather not be left alone with Boot. "And Emmett and I will try and find a table."

She links her arm through his, her smile extending into a grin as the duo vanish off into the crowd, Emmett walking in front to part the sea of bodies about Manny, preventing any collisions with her petite shape. I turn to Jude, saluting him with a roll of my eyes before pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction with the Ravenclaw a few steps behind me. After whipping my elbows into the forms of various younger students wandering around aimlessly, I finally reach the bar behind which a mirror sits, reflecting the warm scene I face away from.

"So what do you want?" Jude pipes as he slides into the empty space beside me to lean against the bar, waiting for us to be served.

"I can get my own drink."

"I'll take that as a butterbeer, just like Manny," He brushes off my snap of a response, retrieving several coins out of his pocket. "And the big boys will be having firewhiskey."

"Don't patronise me just because you two are eighteen-year-old alcoholics," I state as our orders are finally taken. "But thanks, I'll grab your next drink."

He slaps my hand away from my jacket where my money lies, shaking his head in disapproval.

"No need, I've got more than enough money to chuck around on my friends," He says, patting his own pocket with a smirk. "Who knew divorce could _actually _pay off."

"I'm sorry." I reply as if my apology somehow makes up for his parents not being together but he simply waves me off once again.

"It's fine, I'd rather them be apart than fighting all the goddamn time. Honestly, all the shouting and screaming did not make for a fun childhood," He shrugs his shoulders casually, his parents' behaviour clearly not as emotional to him nowadays. "They're both happier now anyway. My mum has her articles in the Daily Prophet to keep herself happy and my dad remarried just after their split, giving me the two little brothers courtesy of his new wife that I had wished for as a naive child."

"Is his wife an evil stepmother?" I ask with a smile.

"Not quite, in fact her and my father are the reason I have all this money. In some ways I guess it makes up for me living with my mother instead of them," He chuckles. "She's French though, which is a bit odd, and it took a lot of pushing on my dad's part to get her to let my little brothers attend Hogswarts instead of Beauxbatons."

"Your brothers are _here_?" I blurt, clearly out of the loop. "I didn't even know you had brothers until just now."

"No, not yet," He wrinkles his nose as he continues. "Anton and Louis start their first year next year and will probably end up in Slytherin like my dad."

"Oh wow, your dad was a Slytherin?" He nods.

"And Mum was a Ravenclaw, the two didn't even know each other until they got out of Hogwarts though," He explains. "But even without the House labels, they were and still are _very _different people."

"Well, they managed to raise a pretty alright kid." I say as our drinks arrive, one sitting in each of our hands.

"Note to self, Darce thinks I'm a pretty alright kid." He mocks, using his height to glance about the room to spot Manny and Emmett.

Once he finds them, he guides me through the students stuffed into the pub to the far corner where the pair sit. Manny sits mere centimetres from Emmett, waving her hand in the air to grab our attention, our arrival no doubt interrupting her playful flirting that he is usually completely unaware of.

"Thanks you guys." She beams when we take our seats, distributing out the drinks.

"No problem." Jude smiles back at her.

I suddenly feel like a third wheel or technically a _fourth _wheel, as Jude grins at Manny's praise, Manny bats her eyelashes at Emmett, and Emmett sips away at his firewhiskey, trying to ignore the scene. After gulping down a mouthful of my butterbeer, I slip off my winter coat, settling into my seat and addressing the trio.

"So what are everyone's Christmas plans?" I ask, although I'm only really interested in the responses of Manny and Jude, hoping the duo will stay at Hogwarts and keep me company over the break.

"I'll be splitting my time between my parents and their celebrations," Jude states, slouching in his chair and smirking. "That means double the presents for yours truly."

"Congrats," I brush him off sourly, slightly irked that he won't be here and even more hopeful that Manny will be. "What about you two?"

"I'll be staying here to train, just like anyone else on the team will be doing if they stay." Emmett replies sternly.

"Which is why I don't stay," Jude jokes. "Seriously, don't be so uptight. Take a break; we'll win the Quidditch cup for sure, so take it easy."

"Gryffindor have won every one of their games this far and we've lost one," Emmett corrects. "So we'll only ensure our win if we train as hard as possible."

"He's right; I'll be pissed if we don't beat Gryffindor because we've spent too much time bumming around." I mutter, irritated that I am agreeing with Emmett, but even more irritated by the idea of Gryffindor winning.

"Well, I'll be staying at Hogwarts over the break too," Manny jumps in cheerfully. "I always stay so I'm more than happy to put in some extra training."

"That's great!" I beam at the idea of her staying as well.

"That's great?" Emmett asks in confusion as Jude also throws me a confuse gaze.

"That's great that you are staying," I explain with a roll of my eyes. "My mum and brother are going away for Christmas so I've got to stay and I'm glad I'll have Manny here to keep me company."

Manny grins at me, nodding in agreement before glancing Emmett's way, perhaps torn between who shall get her attention over the break. I hope it's me she chooses, but I know he is both one of her closest friends and her crush and most girls would flock after _that _choice instead of the close friend who spends most of her time threatening other people's lives. I sigh, suddenly feeling deflated at the thought, but Jude's joking tone soon brings me out of my mind.

"Try not to have too much fun without me."

"We'll be too busy missing you to have fun." Manny corrects playfully before he grins at her compliment.

"Or we'll be too busy having fun to miss you." Emmett suggests before I can open my mouth to taunt something similar, Jude's grin dropping into a frown.

"Gee thanks, Emmy."

"Welcome." He chuckles, downing the rest of his firewhiskey as Jude does the same.

"See, I knew a drink would loosen you up," He praises himself, nudging Emmett with his elbow. "I'll have to get us another round."

"If you get pissed, I'm not dragging you up to campus." I state, still making my way through my butterbeer, Manny also slowly sipping away at hers.

"You couldn't leave us here, Darce, you'd feel too bad." Jude challenges before I bark out a cruel laugh.

"You clearly don't know me very well," I smirk widely. "Since when do I have feelings?"

"She's right you know, she _is_ an emotionless cow after all."

I groan audibly, slamming my head down onto the tabletop at the sound of Cassair Finnigan's voice behind me followed by the smug chuckle of James Potter and reluctant laugh of Gabriel Thomas. The trio of Ravenclaws around the table I've practically head butted glare at the three, irritated by the unwanted interruption.

"Don't you have other people to annoy?" Manny asks with a frown, folding her arms over her chest. "Just leave her alone."

"But if I left her alone, you wouldn't be able to enjoy my company, my lovely." Cassair purrs at her and I suddenly feel sick to my stomach, a notion Jude clearly shares.

"Why don't you leave both girls alone and bugger off?" Jude snaps.

"You'd better calm your lackey down, Simmons." James intercepts the pair and I'm secretly thankful that he didn't address me with my once tender nickname, _Dare_.

"Only if you castrate yours, Potter," I retort, rolling my eyes as I lift my head from the table, twisting around in my chair to face the Gryffindors. "And go crawl back into whatever hellhole you three were spewed out of."

"Last time I checked, any paying customer can go wherever they like in The Three Broomsticks." Gabriel now speaks up, clearly not fond on the idea of being run out of the pub because of my presence here.

"But you can't piss off the every other paying customer here," Emmett speaks up in a booming tone, fed up with the trio's company. "So you'd better run along."

"Are you giving us orders now, Boot?" James scoffs. "You can't even control your own team."

"It was a suggestion, but if you'd like me to _make _you leave–" He begins his threat, but James' obnoxious laughter interrupts him.

"What are you going to do, Boot? Hit me? Drag me out of here?" He taunts with a smirk, leaning passed me to where Emmett sits, presenting his unprotected face. "Go on then, make me leave."

"Don't tempt me."

"I knew you didn't have the balls to do it." James barks out a laugh, mere inches from the Ravenclaw's face, which is now drawing together into a glare.

"If he won't grow a pair, then _I _will make you leave." I pipe up, climbing to my feet, hands curled into tight fists.

"Oh I get it, you have this little girl fight your battles for you now. Too bad you don't get all the _special _benefits I did," James sneers, pointing at me with a perverse smirk on his lips. "No, of course you don't because you're just a coward collecting the better man's leftovers."

"That's it." Emmett snaps suddenly, his chair slamming into the wall as he jolts to his feet, his brawny figure towering over James' leaning one.

His arm whips forward, his hand grasping hold of James' slanted jaw firmly, his fingertips pressing the Gryffindor's cheeks so tightly that you can practically see the outline of his canines hidden within. Emmett drags his opponent to his eyelevel where a hardened glare sits, their faces only centimetres apart with James' set in a hardened look.

"Listen closely, Potter, I'm no coward," He snarls venomously. "And if you want an escort out of here, I'd be more than happy to volunteer. But let's get one thing straight, Simmons is my Seeker, _only _my Seeker, nothing more, nothing less. That's because she's the best person for the position and I reckon you know that, I reckon you're _scared_,"

"Now do as you were asked and bugger off." With that, he thrusts James back into his two friends, releasing his grip on him and settling back into his chair.

My gaze–along with those of various onlookers–shifts to James as he stumbles back, trying to regain his balance, his features still pulled into a shocked expression. Manny glances from Emmett to him, practically shaking with fear at her crush's outburst. James rubs his jaw where a reddened imprint of Emmett's hand sits, tracing it with his fingers before finally breaking free of his shock to glare murderously.

"Never touch me again, Boot," He hisses. "Or you'll regret the next time you step out onto the Quidditch pitch, all four of you will."

With that, he disappears from sight with Gabriel and Cassair close behind, all eyes now falling on Emmett. His expression is neutral, almost bored as if what just happened was a trivial, uninteresting event. He ignores the frightened and curious glances, dropping his gaze to his empty mug before climbing to his feet once again.

"I need another firewhiskey," He says calmly, gathering up our empty mugs as well, careful to not meet Manny's terrified expression or Jude's incredibly chuffed one. "So I'll grab the next round."


	11. Chapter Eleven

_Author's Note: _I'm sorry! *falls to the ground* Please forgive me, I beg of you. I've been missing in action for ages and that seriously was not my intention. I'll give you a quick excuse and then onto the chapter, okay? XD You see I had planned to finish this over Christmas after I wrote a short story and submitted it for publishing into an anthology. I figured it would be rejected because I'm competing against other people who are probably much better than me. Also a lot of other entrants are older than me and I've only just started my English degree. xD But turns out my short story was accepted and is being published, TODAY! 8D So I've sort of been dealing with that and also working on a novel to submit for publishing... I'M SORRY. But now that the short story is out, I can work on this story alongside my novel. ^^ Split my time between the two.

PLUS! I have finished all my university homework for the next six weeks, so I'm free to write. Also EmodinosaurX3 started writing a new Harry Potter fanfiction and as soon as I saw the update, I really wanted to write MGS. ^^ You should check it out, The Wicked Saint, it has only just started but it's a spin-off of another fanfiction of hers, The Dark Secret. :3

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eleven<em>

The rest of the day was stiff as we slipped into a few stores to pick up last minute presents, an awkward tension settling between the four of us after Emmett's outburst. Manny hid behind her dark curtains of hair, retreating into silence at the side of her friend she must have never witnessed. Being so bubbly and charming, he must have never acted that way towards her. Jude, on the other hand, roared with laughter at the incident, congratulating Emmett at any given moment, earning himself pouts from Manny until we now mount the path towards Hogwarts.

Darkness stretches towards the horizon as the sun dips below it, the black of winter's night rapidly approaching. Several other students were dotted about the path, struggling against the cold to make it back to the school before dark. Manny and I walk a few paces ahead of the boys, who are chatting enthusiastically amongst themselves, perhaps recounting the day's events for the umpteenth time. As if tuning into their conversation, Manny sighs beside me moments later, breaking the silence she created.

"I'm sorry about today," her whisper is so light that I arch myself towards her as it nearly vanishes on the wind. "That must have been really uncomfortable for you."

"Not really," I shrug, unsure of why _she _is apologising for what happened between James and Emmett. "I respect him for defending himself, if he hadn't done it, I would've. Potter can really push your buttons."

"But Emmett isn't like that."

"What about with Quidditch?" I suggest, but she shakes her head quickly.

"Not even then," she corrects, almost frowning at the insinuation that Emmett would behave like that to his teammates. "I know he acts really stern towards us, but he has never blown his top. It was kind of _scary_."

She practically shakes as she speaks; looking over her shoulder at the duo behind us to make sure they can't hear what she is saying. I arch my eyebrows at her, fairly confused by her paranoid actions.

"Was it really _that _much of a shock to you?" I gawk, watching as she turns back to me, hugging her waist tightly as if to comfort herself.

"I guess so. Jude has always been defensive and easily provoked, especially when guys are rude to me," she sighs through her distressed words. "But Emmett, he is different, he isn't like that. He's calm, collected and mature. Or he _was_."

"I'm sure he's still the same," I speak in an almost unsure tone as I struggle to put her at ease. "Hey, maybe it's my fault. I sure as Hell bring out the worst in Potter; that could just be how I rub off on people."

I grin as a little laugh escapes her lips before they speak into a soft smile, brightening her whole expression. Whether her smile is genuine or an attempt to make me feel better, I still appreciate it and return it with a smile of my own as we enter the Hogwarts castle. A warm air greets us immediately, emitting from the crackling fireplaces to envelope every dip of our bodies and sweep away our chills. I push back my hood and Manny peels off her mittens and scarf as the boys catch up with us, their scantily clad forms easily adjusting to the sudden temperature change.

"Bet you two regret wearing so many layers now," Jude smirks, ruffling his hands through our hair as he passes by. "Not only would it be a great sight for us, but you wouldn't be so hot whenever we go inside."

"Are you saying we aren't a great sight now?" Manny asks as I smooth my hair back down with a glare.

"Don't answer that," Emmett intercepts as he slips indoors, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows. "There's no right answer."

"Thanks for the warning," Jude grins, now walking down the corridor ahead of us with Emmett beside him. "I'd hate to get on Manny's bad side."

"Good because you're already on mine." I pipe up.

"Because I touched your hair?" He teases over his shoulder.

"No because you're annoying when you drink."

"I haven't drunk much."

"Maybe you're just annoying all the time then." I retort.

"Maybe you're just–" He begins his comeback until Manny's voice suddenly cuts him off.

"Please don't start another fight," she says with her voice soft yet her tone deadly serious. "We really don't need to be at everyone's throats all the time."

"Chill out Manny," Jude reassures her as if she is a child witnessing her parents disagreeing for the first time. He slows his pace to walk beside her and sling an arm over her shoulders as he speaks. "We're just having a bit of fun, we're not fighting."

"Where's the fun in winding each other up all the time?" She pouts, her disappointment over Emmett's behaviour clearly still affecting her.

"Where's all this coming from? It's never bothered you before–" It's now my time to cut Jude off mid-sentence and jump to Manny's defence.

"No, she's right," I state as Jude frowns at being cut off for the second time. "We can take things a bit far sometimes."

"Okay, if you guys say so." He surrenders, but not before glancing at the pair of us suspiciously, clearly understanding that there is something else bothering Manny than our bickering.

With that, he retreats from Manny and returns to Emmett, resuming their conversation filled with boisterous chuckles and private jokes. I smile as the two best friends interact, remembering behaving in such ways with my Gryffindor friends. That is before they abandoned me to flock after Potter.

"Thanks," Manny interrupts my now sour thoughts, her dark eyes glancing at me apologetically. "I don't know what's wrong with me right now, sorry."

"Don't apologise, I don't mind," I assure her. "Friends are supposed to support each other, aren't they?"

"Yeah, you're right." She smiles.

"And besides, there's nothing wrong with you, you're just a bit shocked."

"I'm more disappointed than anything else," she admits before shaking her head. "But you and Jude aren't bothered by what happened at all."

"I guess it's what we would've done in the situation. Plus I'm not exactly Emmett's friends so what he does isn't going to affect me much."

"I wouldn't have been disappointed in you guys though if you had done it. And I know James had it coming."

"Well Emmett isn't _just _a friend to you." I lower my voice, making sure the male in question cannot hear my words.

"Maybe that's it, I _do_ really care about him," she groans, frustrated by her own feelings before quickly covering up her pain with a smile and a swift topic change. "Anyway, do you want to post any of the presents you bought tonight? I'm thinking of heading up to the Owlery."

"Sure," I reply after a moment of silence to register the change. Although I want to press her to work out the problem, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that she isn't keen on talking about it. "I'd better get things posted sooner rather than later with Christmas just round the corner."

"Great, we'll head up after dinner." She beams in a forced tone before scurrying to Jude and Emmett, slotting herself into their conversation.

I trail behind as the trio make their way to the Great Hall for dinner, watching Manny grins and giggles as if she doesn't have a care in the world. But unlike the two boys, I know she's still hung up over everything, over Emmett. I'll just have to wait until she is willing to talk about it again.

* * *

><p>The next week passes by in what feels like the blink of an eye as all our classes come to a close for the term and most students pack up their belongings, preparing to return home for the holidays. Manny remains her usual perky self, keeping her lips tightly sealed about what happened at Hogsmeade whilst Jude and Emmett seem to be none the wiser as to her inner feelings. I almost find myself wishing I could be as dense as they are instead of worrying over what she is refusing to tell. Luckily Potter and his friends have kept their distance from us for the last week of term, seemingly putting Manny's mind at ease to some degree. The less Emmett runs into him, the better for her.<p>

"Here you go mate." Emmett's voice coupled with the squealing of the Hogwarts Express interrupts my mulling over the last week.

We all stand before the roaring scarlet train at the Hogsmeade station, Emmett handing Jude his last bag as he lingers on the platform a few minutes longer. Other students file onto the train, eagerly searching for compartments to share with their friends before having to separate to their respective homes. Jude, on the other hand, is travelling alone, heading back to his mother's quaint urban home first before jetting over to his father's extensive mansion.

"You know you guys can stay at my dad's if you want instead of here for the holidays, there's an arse load of room," Jude suggests almost pleadingly before adding a perverse comment in to cover up his desire to see us over the holiday. "Manny and Darce can stay in my room if worse comes to worst."

"I'd rather sleep under a bus stop," I snarl. "Besides, my mum would kill me if she found out I was staying somewhere without discussing it with her."

"Oh wow, I'd never expect you to do what your mother tells you." He taunts me.

"It's either I do what she says or face the death penalty."

"What about you two?" Jude turns his attention to Manny and Emmett, admitting defeat in regards to me.

Before they can make up their own excuses though, the train roars one last time with the conductor calling for all to board. Jude rolls his ashen eyes, clearly irked that his farewells have been rushed.

"Well, I'll catch you guys later," he says with a shrug, running a hand through his dark curls as he climbs onto the train. "Try not to have fun without me."

"Try not to forget to keep up your Quidditch practice without me." Emmett challenges before bidding Jude farewell awkwardly, the two uncomfortable with showing their affectionate friendship in front of Manny and I.

With a quick goodbye to Manny and I, featuring Jude struggling to get a hug out of me–and in the end only receiving an awkward one without my consent–and receiving a tight embrace from Manny, Jude disappears onto the train, no doubt locking himself in a compartment to sleep for the rest of the journey. We stay on the platform a few minutes longer, watching the train slowly pull out of the station and disappear into the snowfall soon to blow up into a blizzard.

"We should get some practice in this afternoon before the blizzard comes," Emmett speaks up, breaking the awkward silence of Jude's departure. "The weather probably won't be suitable for practice for a week or longer once it starts."

"Sure," I reply, more so because I'm anxious to get back on the field before I start suffering from Quidditch withdrawal than because I feel I should follow my captain's suggestion. "I'm up for it."

"Sorry, I've got to get some things from town. I can't practice today," Manny says quickly, glancing towards the shops of Hogsmeade before back at us. "And I should get going if I want to get everything before dark."

"But what if the snow gets worse?" Emmett asks, just as confused by her frantic nature as I am.

"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take, this stuff _has _to get done." She says stubbornly as he shrugs and rolls his eyes.

"Fine, but what _stuff _has to be done right this second?"

"Just stuff," she mutters, keeping up her vague nature and glancing at the shops once again.

"I'll come with you," I intercept, hoping I can prod whatever is going on out of her if we're alone. "It'll get done faster with two people."

"No, it's fine. I can do it myself. I'll see you guys at dinner." She speaks so fast all her words nearly come out as one.

As soon as the last syllable leaves her lips, she turns and scrambles towards the shops. Whatever she has to do is clearly urgent–and suspicious–and I struggle to keep myself from chasing after her just to see what is going on. I stand alongside Emmett, staring at where Manny was standing for a few minutes before turning back to the path up to Hogwarts. There's no use in following her, she'll be lost in the crowds of people doing last minute shopping by now.

"You're leaving?" Emmett booms.

"How observant of you," I reply as I begin my ascent to the castle.

Soon the sound of heavy footsteps crunching through snow follows after me, their pace quickening until Emmett reaches my side. His brawny figure towers over me, his bright blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at me as I roll my dark ones at him. His decision to follow me is a confusing and unwelcomed one as although we have spent more time together thanks to our mutual friends; we are still not on the best of terms.

"Why are you walking with me?" I hiss defensively.

"Because I want to know what's going on with Manny." He states in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And that involves following me because?"

"Because you must know what's bothering her, she's been acting strangely all week," he snaps in irritation. "Or have you been too dense to notice?"

"Hey, you and Jude are the dense ones," I growly defensively. "You acted as if you guys acted like nothing was wrong at all."

"I know her well enough to realise when something is bothering her and she doesn't want to talk about it." He says not hiding his implication that he knows her better than I do.

"But you don't really know her all that well if you can't figure out what's clearly wrong with her." I challenge.

"So you _do _know what's going on, why do you have to act like a stubborn child about everything?" He scolds now rolling his eyes at me.

"Why do you have to act like an arrogant imbecile about everything? And if you're going to keep bothering me, don't speak to me like I'm a child."

"Just tell me what's going on and I'll _gladly _leave you alone."

"Why should I tell you anything? In fact why do you even care so much?"

"Because she's my _friend_," he shouts, fed up with my refusing to cooperate. "And if she is upset because of something _I _have done, _I _need to fix it. But you wouldn't understand that, would you?"

"She's my friend too so don't you dare tell me what I do and do not understand!" I shout back.

"Then tell me what's going on and let me help fix this if you really do care about how she's feeling!"

I frown at his challenge. The bastard has got me there. After all he is the person who can fix what's going on because he is the one who caused it. I sigh, feeling nauseous at the fact that I have to surrender this argument and comply with his demand. I halt in my tracks and compose myself as Emmett looks down at me expectantly.

"Fine," I reply calmly, my aggression evaporating as I speak. "Manny is upset because of what happened at Hogsmeade last weekend, what happened between you and James Potter."

"I thought so," He muses before shaking his head. "That prat just pushes all my buttons."

"I know it's a skill of his," I gather myself up again as I continue. "Look I respect what you did and I'm pretty sure I would have done the same myself if you hadn't. But Manny, she just found it disappointing. She said you were always calm and mature about everything but then you acted like that and yeah."

"Thanks." He says after a few moments of silence to contemplate over my words.

"For?"

"Saying you respect it and would do the same; it's nice to know Potter doesn't just get under my skin. Most people seem to worship the ground he walks on."

"Thanks for doing what you did; it's nice to know that someone else can actually stand up to him. It means I don't have to chase him away all the time." I reply nonchalantly.

"I'll never understand what possessed you to date him." He shakes his head at me with a small laugh at my stupidity.

"Well some people are really different on the outside, it was only when I dug away at his exterior that I found the real him and what I found was a sexist pig," I say. "I guess you just have to spend a lot more time around someone to find the real them, you know?"

"You mean like how with you I have to get passed all the stubbornness, immaturity, curse words and general violence to find someone somewhat likable and make sense of why Manny and Jude spend so much time with you?" He teases, lightening the mood as we continue our walk up to the castle.

"I'd say the same about you, but so far I haven't found anything likable about you," I retort. "But when I find something other than disdain, you'll be the first to know."

"I see you're as charming as ever. But like me or not, you have to admit I'm a good Quidditch captain."

"You refused me the Seeker spot even though I was the best person for the position," I exclaim. "You even admitted my excellence to Potter."

"That was mostly just to get under _his _skin. Besides by rejecting you for the position, you trained harder and improved your abilities so _technically _what I did made you the best person for the position." He states with a smirk that almost matches the one Jude often wears.

"That would only make sense if you planned all of it, which I know you didn't."

"True, I rejected you because I didn't like you," he chuckles. "But in the end it worked out for the best, right?"

"Okay, yes, it did and you are a good captain. But that's your only redeeming quality."

"Don't I get a few extra points for my looks?" He jokes, tilting his handsome face towards me with a smug smile.

"If anything you _lose _points." I laugh as we finally reach Hogwarts, the corridors now free of any students, most of the ones staying in the castle lingering about the common rooms with any company they can find.

We pause in the hallway before the Grand Staircase, an awkward silence settling between us as I become aware of our friendly behaviour and prepare to part ways. I wonder if perhaps I am talking to Emmett so comfortably because Jude and Manny are absent or because there actually _is _a likable person somewhere within him. I shudder to think the reason may be the latter after all the contempt between us.

"With the weather like this and Manny hanging around in Hogsmeade, maybe we should give Quidditch practice a miss today," I speak up, slicing through the tension. "I mean the Ravenclaws still here probably don't want to spend their first day off of school practising anyway."

"You're right," he agrees surprisingly, perhaps wanting to get away from this weird sense of friendship as much as I do. "And I should probably get my work done before Manny gets back and has my head for not studying."

"That's true," I say before giving him an uncomfortable smile. "Well, bye then."

"If you want, you can eat dinner with Manny and I tonight," he adds just as I start up one of the stairs. "Unless you'd rather sit with the likes of Potter and his lackeys."

"Yeah, the Gryffindor table isn't exactly welcoming these days," I reply to him over my shoulder with a slightly more natural smile. "I guess I'll see you at dinner then."


	12. Chapter Twelve

_Author's Note: _filler, filler, filler time. xD Seriously though, I hate writing fillers but this had to be done. I apologise in advance.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Twelve<em>

The flames flickering away in the stone fireplace flood warmth over me as I settle into a plush scarlet armchair. The common room is empty; the early rising students still tucked away in their bedrooms no doubt buzzing with excitement over the end of term. I smooth out a piece of parchment on my lap, taking advantage of the peace and quiet to buckle down and write to my family before they head out on their travels. Unfortunately I only make it a few words into my letter until I am interrupted by the sound of doors slamming shut echoing from the dormitories, footsteps and chatting voices soon following. The loudmouthed Gryffindors burst into the common room, leaving me cringing as I recognise their voices immediately.

Roxanne and Rose Weasley strut out of the girls' dormitories with a quieter Lily Potter dragging behind them, clearly irked by her older cousins waking her at such an early hour of the morn. She chirps up as her brothers emerge from the boys' dormitories, followed by James' ever loyal Gabriel Thomas. I only take one comfort from this disturbance as I notice Cassair Finnigan to be absent from this meeting and hope it means the smug git has gone home for the holiday. With him missing, I am free from one of my three greatest annoyances and can't help but grin.

The conversations soon fall silent; every set of eyes falling upon me huddled alongside the massive fireplace. Roxanne and Rose exchange unsure looks as if debating over how to behave, over whether to ignore me or sneer my way, over whether to quickly distract James or let him snap insults my way. Lily soon steps forward, grabbing hold of her eldest brother's arm before tugging him towards the portrait hall.

"C'mon James, we should get going," she whispers almost pleadingly.

"Yeah, we don't want to get caught up in the rush." Albus adds, patting his brother on the back to try to encourage him forward and away from me.

"We won't," he snaps, breaking free from his siblings and sidling up to the seating area. He leans against the back of the couch, a smirk tugging across his lips as he looks down at me. "Why so happy, Simmons?"

"Why do you care, Potter?" I reply, not looking up from my parchment as I pretend to be deep in work.

"Nothing makes me happier than seeing you _miserable_ so this giddiness is really an imposition on me." He states with a sigh as if my mere existence is stressing him out.

"Well nothing makes me happier than seeing one of your cronies missing," I lean towards him, twisting my voice into a mock whisper. "I'm _secretly_ hoping he's been hit by a high speed vehicle, but I'll settle for him just being back home in Ireland, at least he's across the way from me for a couple of weeks."

"Don't worry; you won't get the chance to miss him." His grin grows as mine shrinks at his words.

"What?" I blurt.

"Cassair has just popped down to Hogsmeade for the morning," Roxanne pipes up impatiently, taking Gabriel's hand in hers and tugging him towards the portrait hole. "Now that that's sorted, let's get going, I'm absolutely starving."

"Thanks for raining on my parade, Rox," James rolls his eyes before glancing at my frown and regaining his cheerful attitude. "But I've got what I wanted."

With that, the group of Gryffindors filed out of the common room without a second glance back at me. Their behaviour is just a sour reminder that they no longer care about my wellbeing and stretches my frown even further. That bastard really does know how to bum me out, even if that reminder wasn't intentional on his part. I slump in my chair, crumpling up my parchment before sighing to myself. With Jude back home, Manny acting strangely and now James and his morons staying for the holidays, I cannot help but hope time will fly by or else I may end up murdering one of my fellow Gryffindors.

* * *

><p>Lcukily my prayers are answered for today as the hours skip by without incident until I find myself walking towards the Great Hall for dinner with a crowd of Gryffindors, most of them several years my junior and thus planning to spend their entire holiday in their dorms. I almost don't want to go to dinner especially as it means I'll probably end up eating alone with Emmett as Manny–in her current suspicious nature–will probably pull out of dinner. But I know I need to get a hold of her, to grill her about what is going on, to at least try to make sense of what is going on with her. And if she ends up skipping out on dinner, unfortunately I'll need Emmett's help to chase her down.<p>

As I enter the Great Hall, I part from the horde of Gryffindors and instead head towards the Ravenclaw table. It only takes a few minutes for me to spot the tall chiselled figure of Emmett sitting across from the petite sun-kissed figure of Manny at the far end of the table. I feel my whole body relax, my muscles calming now that I realise she actually _has_ turned up to dinner after all and I don't have to run around the castle searching for her. I scurry across the hall, taking a seat next to Emmett in order to stare down Manny for the interrogation I'm preparing to shoot her way.

"Hey Darce," Manny beams my way as she wolfs down her food, somehow able to eat endless amounts without being the shape of a beach ball. "How's your day been?"

"Uneventful," I smirk as I dish up some food for myself. "What about yours?"

"Pretty much the same," she shrugs.

"I thought you were in Hogsmeade all day." Emmett speaks before I can, clocking onto my desire to figure out what she has been up to.

"Well yeah," she pauses as if searching for an excuse to dismiss the topic. "But I didn't do much, looked in a couple of stores and grabbed a bite to eat, that's all."

"And that took you all day, right?" I ask.

"I guess," Manny looks from Emmett to me as she gulps down the last remains of her meal, her dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Actually I have some work to do so I'd better head off; I really need to get this done tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

She bounds to her feet and scrambles out of the room, her robes billowing behind her at her sudden speed. I quickly scrape up my portion of food, following her lead and eating it as quickly as possible despite the fact that it will probably make me ill later tonight. I don't have time to eat when I should be figuring out what is going on with her.

"You're going to follow her, aren't you?" Emmett asks as he serves himself some more, clearly not interested in chasing her through the halls of the school.

"Yep," I say once I force down the last slivers of my food before wiping my mouth on my cloth napkin and climbing to my feet. "See you later."

Ignoring the curious gazes of various onlookers, I bolt out of the hall and follow the sound of Manny's dainty footsteps echoing through the corridors of Hogwarts. Luckily she decided to run off in the middle of dinner so I won't lose her in a crowd of bustling students. I remain several paces behind her, lingering around corners to make sure she won't catch sight of me until I know what's going on. I jump from shadow to shadow as she makes her way through the castle to her unknown destination, feeling like a detective tailing after a suspect. In fact I get so into my role that I begin humming a theme song to myself–only just quiet enough for her not to hear me–and matching my movements to the tune.

Soon enough I fall silent as I find myself just around the corner from a somewhat familiar place, the library. Manny peels the door open and slips inside out of sight whilst I linger behind, waiting for her to be a few metres away from the doorway before I head in after her. I begin to wonder if perhaps following her around–and behaving like a cartoonish detective–is useless, she could very well be doing her homework, she has _just _gone into the library after all.

I shake the doubts from my head and pursue onwards, slipping into the library quiet as a mouse. The ancient decrypted librarian shoots me a glare, warning me against disturbing the silence she has maintained. I tiptoe through the shelves stocked full to the brim with books from all the ages, searching for a familiar head of glossy dark locks without being detected by the beholder. After making my way through a few rows of shelves without success, I finally find Manny towards the back end of the library.

She is inspecting the titles of various books half-heartedly, tapping her fingers against their spines with her foot tapping against the ground, showing her impatience. She soon presses plump lips into a pout, her almond-shaped chocolate eyes glancing about anxiously as she tucks a stray strand of ebony behind her heavily pierced ear. She is waiting for something or someone and she clearly is growing tired of waiting, emitting an air of irritation that I've never seen from her before.

After deciding I've had enough of spying, I move forward and tap a finger gently on her shoulder, sending her spinning around to face me with a look for excitement. But her ecstatic smile falls moments later as she glances over me, realising I am not the person she expected to be here. Her thin eyebrows shoot up, her eyes widening as she registers my presence and what is going on, clearly aware that I am about to figure out what is going on with her.

"H-h-hey," she forces a cheerful tone to mask her shock. "What... What are you doing here?"

"I finished up dinner and thought I'd come to the library to study, same as you," I say with an arch of one of my eyebrows. "I mean that _is _what you are here for?"

"Of-of course," her smile becomes weary. "But I need to buckle down and focus so I don't really want to get distracted by friends or anything."

"Don't worry, I need to focus too. We'll both be completely quiet; it's just nice to have some company," I lie; I'm not fond on having company when I want to concentrate, but I know Manny is. "That's what you always say anyway."

"And you're _actually _listening to my suggestion of company, _now_?" She gawks in disbelief.

"You're right, that's a ridiculous idea," I admit with a laugh before drawing my features into a serious expression. "I'm here because I want to know what's going on with you and why you are acting like, well, _this_."

"I'm just a bit busy with homework, that's all."

"You're just a bit busy with homework _at the end of term_?" I reply sarcastically. "That makes perfect sense for the girl who loves doing well in class and never has homework pile up."

"I guess that was a pretty ridiculous idea too," she groans with a sigh before giving up her unconvincing facade. It seems to be pretty clear to the both of us that she isn't an excellent liar. "But I'm not doing anything _bad_, honestly, you don't need to worry."

"Keeping secrets and acting suspicious is hardly comforting though. Plus the curiosity over what the hell is going on is going to kill me if I don't find out the truth."

"But I just can't..." She struggles to find a valid reason not to tell me what is going on.

"I'm pretty sure it's harder for you to lie seeing as you're not very good at it." I challenge as she shifts uncomfortably, turning away from me to inspect the books in front of her again as if she cannot look me in the eye.

"Have you had any run-ins with Potter today?" She asks, her voice now a nervous whisper.

"Don't try to change the subject."

"I'm honestly asking, if you answer this, I'll tell you what's going on."

"Fine, but if you don't I'll figure out a way to make you," I threaten before groaning and recounting my brief encounter with the demon in question. "But yes, I saw him in the common room today with most of his friends. I had a short-lived moment of joy when Cassair Finnigan was missing and I assumed he went home for the holidays, but unfortunately I was mistaken. Not much else happened; it was only five minutes or so. Potter only really said that he is happy when he sees me miserable, which isn't news to anyone."

"So you were pretty happy when you thought Cassair was gone?" I nod in confirmation, unsure of where she is going with this. "And would you say you hate him as much as you hate Potter?"

"Pretty much, only Gabriel Thomas is the lesser of the three evils. The other two are on par with one another except I didn't have to waste nearly a year of my life dating Cassair." I mutter spitefully, almost wishing Potter could hear me deem our relationship a regrettable waste of time.

"Would you ever have dated Cassair before all the hatred?"

"No way, not in a million years, the imbecile spends his time jumping from girl to girl. I'm not even sure if he knows what a meaningful relationship is." I retort without a second thought or doubt in my mind.

"But you have to admit he is _really _attractive." She suggests but I sharply shake my head.

"He's about as attractive as a third degree burn," I state with a deadpan expression. "Why are you asking about the git?"

"Well, I-I think he _is _attractive," she says sheepishly, bowing her head to hide from my stunned expression. "And under his hard exterior there's a really good friend, someone trustworthy and fun to be around."

"On what planet could anything that remotely resembles a soul lie beneath his 'hard exterior'?" I exclaim even using air quotes around _hard exterior _to get my point across.

"Why else would he defend James so much after you two broke up? I mean you were his friend too, but James was his best friend and he must be a good friend if he wants to defend him so much–" I frown, interrupting her immediately in annoyance.

"Wow, just hold up a minute. Are you _seriously _defending him? Are you _seriously_ defending the guy who has been actively trying to make me miserable?" I grab hold of her shoulders, looking her dead in the eye in disbelief. "Are you _drunk_?"

"What? No! I'm not drunk!"

"Then you must be mentally ill, you sound like one of those poor girls he has charmed into falling at the ground he walks on..." My voice trails off as the truth suddenly dawns on me, my eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as I worry my heart can't take this level of shock. '_Sorry, I've got to get some things from town.'_ '_Cassair has just popped down to Hogsmeade for the morning.' _"No... No... You _are _one of them?"

I stumble back, holding onto the bookshelf to keep myself upright as I struggle to understand what I've just worked out. I wonder if perhaps _I _am drunk back and imagining all of this in some haze. I almost hope I am. I just can't wrap my head around all of this, why someone as brilliant as Manny would want someone as disgusting as Cassair.

"Are you alright?" Manny squeaks, her eyes wide with fear at my reaction. "If-if it helps, he isn't just charming me to you know get what he wants and leaves, I think he actually likes me."

"He actually likes _all of them_ and then he gets what he wants and they stop being so likable!" I exclaim with my words coming out so fast I can barely control my lips. "Just why? Why? Why? Why?"

"Well it happened last weekend. You remember, I was upset about Emmett's behaviour and Cassair happened to find me. He made me laugh, his cheesy pick-up lines and goofing off," she smiles at the memory whilst it just makes me nauseous. "We've been spending so much time together. He's absolutely gorgeous, it's astounding and he's just so charming and funny and honest. He's just _perfect_."

She sighs the last word with admiration as my face twists with disgust and I actually worry I may just throw up if she says another word. I slowly absorb her words, calming myself as much as I can whilst she just looks on with an anxious expression. I straighten up, breathing deeply before finally speaking.

"So what you're saying is you were really cut up about Emmett, you were heartbroken," I repeat as she nods in agreement. "And Cassair Finnigan came to you, whilst you were heartbroken, and fucking took advantage of your vulnerability!"

"Wait, what?" Her nodding suddenly stops, but before she can protest I have continued shouting.

"I swear I'm going to kill that slimy git. I'm going to skin him alive," I rant, my hands clenched into fists and my face wearing a snarl. "When I'm done with him, he won't be able to speak let alone take advantage of a girl's tears ever again!"

"No, Darcy, you don't have to that!" Manny quickly blurts as I try and storm out of the library in search of the pervert in question. "You can't do that!"

"You're right, I can't do that _alone_. I'll go get Emmett, a second pair of fists always comes in handy," I growl as she jumps in front of my path. "In fact maybe I'll call Jude back to campus to put his boot up Cassair's arse–"

"You're just as bad as Jude and Emmett!" She now shouts, both of us soon to face the wrath of the librarian. "Violence isn't going to fix this, he hasn't done anything wrong. He's making me happy."

"Yeah I'm sure he's making himself happy too." I mutter.

"Please just calm down, don't do anything stupid." She begs, staring up at me with pleading puppy dog eyes until I finally relent, uncurling my fists and relaxing my frown.

"Okay,I'll calm down for now. I still don't get it, but I'll try to understand." I sulk.

"Then I'll explain as much as I can until it makes sense to you. It's really just that–Cassair!" She gasps suddenly in the midst of her sentence, staring passed me at the shadow now looming over us.

"Aren't you looking as sexy as ever?" The Irish accent of the figure speaks to Manny and I whip around to find the prick in question leaning against the book case.

His uniform falls messily about his figure, the sleeves of his top rolled up to his elbows with his tie hanging loose and the top few buttons of his collared shirt undone to expose his fair skin. His wispy sandy colour hair frames his face loosely, several fringes of hair just skimming above his deep hazel eyes which now wide in surprise as he notices my identity. The smirk on his lips however doesn't drop, instead it widens.

"Well, well, well, I didn't think I'd find this whore–" His words cut off as my fist collides with his face, my knuckles pounding across his nose, feeling it crack beneath my brute force.

He crashes backwards, clasping his hands over his face and moaning in agony as I shake out my fist, glaring down at him murderously. I straighten myself up right, having used the whole force of my body to plough my fist through his face before turning to face Manny with a small smile.

"Sorry, I said I'd try to understand, not that I'd let him talk to me," I say with a shrug before making my way out of the library. "I'll see you tomorrow, Manny; enjoy the rest of your evening. And Cassair, you'd better get some ice on that."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

_Author's Note: _Wehey, managed to update two days in a row. I think I deserve a high-five or something. xD

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Thirteen<em>

"Hey Darce, wait!" Manny calls after me as I depart from the library with the librarian shooting me a murderous glare.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of Finnigan?" I ask as she catches up to me, her expression thankfully not one of anger, but it's not one of happiness either.

"He's a big boy, he'll live," she giggles lightly, her lips curling into a soft smile. "Besides I'm not going to choose him over you. I may like him a lot and you may have just punched him in the face, but you're still my friend."

"Why'd you have to go and say that?" I groan. "Now I feel somewhat guilty for said face punching."

"Well, I guess that means now is a good time to ask a favour of you," she takes a deep breath before continuing, hugging her waist tightly as we walk. "I'd appreciate if you kept _this _to yourself, you know, me and Cassair. I know you don't really talk to Emmett much, but if he found out he'd be livid and then he'd tell Jude and I'd never hear the end of it."

"As you said, I don't really talk to Emmett much so there's nothing to worry about." I reply with a half-smile, still feeling nauseous about the image of her and Cassair together.

"Well you _do_ talk to him about some things," her smile twists into a smirk as she looks up at me knowingly. "I know you spoke to him about why I've been upset lately, about how much his behaviour bothered me."

I open my mouth to apologise, but she continues. As she speaks, her smirk stretches back into her trademark wide smile.

"Don't apologise, I understand and I would've done the same. I know you two were just worried about me and wanted to help. Plus because it was Emmett that upset me, of course it'd seem like only Emmett could fix it and so you tried to get him to do that," at this point she breaks out in a grin, exposing her pearly whites thankfully. "And I'm grateful for that, I know you were just trying to help and make me happy again."

"I'm glad you're not angry," I say before eyeing her curiously. "But how did you know I told him?"

"He's not exactly subtle about these things because he doesn't understand the inner workings of a girl's mind very well," she laughs at his expense, no doubt reliving memories of his inexperience with female mood swings and bewildering behaviour. "When I got back from my Hogsmeade date with Cassair, Emmett confronted me about what has been going on straight out and we spoke for ages."

"So essentially I tried to help, but instead made everything awkward between you two. Good job, Darcy."

"When he confronted me it was awkward at first, yes, but you really did help. Talking to him made me realise something really important, something that made me really happy," she leans towards me, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "That I really like Cassair, _not _Emmett."

"Great, it's my fault that you're brainwashed." I mumble with a roll of my eyes.

"Come on, he isn't _that _bad. He is so hot; it actually scares me a little bit."

"Telling me things like that doesn't make me think you're less delusional," I joke. "That coupled with the fact that you flip flopped from Emmett to him in a week makes me think you might be crazy."

"Only a bit boy crazy," she corrects me in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides I've _always _found Cassair good-looking and oddly charming, it's just that I had all my attention on Emmy."

"Oh yes, I can see how him constantly insulting me and making perverted comments over you can be _oddly charming_," I mock with a fake swoon. "In fact, I think I'm starting to fall for his rude charms as well."

"You can't criticise me for liking Cassair, are you not the one who dated Potter for a year?" She challenges with an arch of her eyebrows.

"Yes, but that's all the more reason for you to learn from my mistakes, you've seen how Potter treats me."

"Even if he is an arse, I bet there were _a lot _of things you found sexy about him." She makes faux kissing noises as she speaks, earning herself an eye roll from me.

"You really _are _boy crazy. As soon as we start talking about boys, you act like a giddy thirteen-year-old girl with her first crush." I mutter.

"I had my first crush way before I was thirteen," She says with a laugh, brushing off my comment. "But if you had yours around that age, does that mean James Potter was your first crush?"

"When did this become about my stupidity over Potter instead of your stupidity over Finnigan?"

"I can't believe this!" She squeals. "He so was your first crush, that's adorable!"

Manny suddenly stops and grabs my hands, her whole face lighting up as her body shakes with excitement. With an immense strength that I find hard to believe she can hold in her petite body, she drags me into the nearest empty classroom. After checking that no teacher will walk in, she plops down on the ground, folding her legs before gesturing for me to do the same. I reluctantly obey, almost wanting to take the opportunity to flee from the room seeing as her sitting down gives me a head start.

"So tell me _everything_."

"Really? That's why you dragged me in here?" I groan, dropping my head into my hands. "There's nothing to tell so can we go?"

"I'll get this little chat started if it helps." She suggests.

"I don't want to have one of those sickeningly girly chats no matter who starts it." I whine.

"It's fun, seriously. Are you telling me you've never had these chats with your Gryffindor friends?"

"Well, seeing as I liked and later dated Potter, I don't think they wanted to hear someone swooning over their close relative," I state. "I mean it's kind of gross."

"I guess that makes sense, but they still spoke about boys to you, right?"

"Yeah, mostly just Roxanne going giddy over Gabriel," I say with a shrug.

"Great!" Manny exclaims. "Besides we _have _to have this chat. I have a couple of girl friends, but none of them have been my best friends like Jude and Emmett so I couldn't talk to them about all sorts. So I'm afraid being my best friend leaves you with certain responsibilities and one of them is boy talk."

"Fine," I moan with dread for the conversation to come. "But I'll go first because I want to get this over with as soon as possible. You'll just have to tell me where to start."

"Start with Potter." She responds quickly, her grin widening.

"Well, James wasn't my first crush ever, but he was the first _big _one, the first boy I really liked when I was younger," I explain. "But that was in our first few years, soon the crush was replaced by friendship until he felt that spark too and we started dating."

"Come on, you can do better than that, where are all the juicy details?" She whines.

"What details do you want? I don't do this frequently."

"What about kissing? How was he? Was he your first? That sort of thing, you know, answer the questions that only you can answer."

"Because that really clears up what I'm supposed to do," I say before reluctantly answering her queries. "James wasn't my first kiss, but well, all kisses before that were mostly just pecks and not passionate or anything. But with James, it was almost _electric_; every kiss was deep and utterly amazing. If he didn't speak such bullshit through them, I'd say his lips were the best thing about him."

The conversation continues smoothly, mostly consisting of Manny chatting away and me remaining a quiet listener seeing as she has a greater male fan base and experience with males than I. But as we exchange war stories and snort with laughter at one another's expense, I actually find I am enjoying myself and loving learning more about Manny. By the time our chatting ends, my stomach aches from all the chortles of laughter and my cheeks sting from the wide smile I am unable to wipe from my face. It seems there is a small part of me, somewhere tucked deep inside that actually enjoys being feminine, at least when I'm doing it with the bubbly ball of fun that is Manny Legaspi.

* * *

><p>I wake to the sound of a slamming door followed by excited footsteps pattering through the halls of the girls' dormitories, the craze only muffled by the fact that my head is strategically stuffed beneath a pillow as I arranged the night before in anticipation of this. I withdraw from my somewhat soundproof chamber, crawling out from my thick duvet and glancing about the dorm curiously. It is bare of all life, but the beds of my roommates have clearly been slept in as the duvets are strewn across the sheet-covered mattresses, kicked off in a rush. Light streams through the windows as if the sun has just risen into the dark winter sky, assuring me that it is still the morning and that hopefully I have missed the main rush.<p>

I slip out of bed, stuffing my feet into a pair of slippers to avoid contact with the chilled hardwood floor before shuffling towards my trunk. I retrieve a set of casual clothes from it, any student staying in the school over the holidays excused from their uniform for this special day. I tug on a pair of deep royal blue skinny jeans, smoothing the ends around my scuffed up converse shoes. I pull on a plain top, hiding it beneath a loose-fitting hooded jumper of a dark grey colour before quickly running a brush through my choppily layered golden locks. After settling my hair about my shoulders, leaving my slanted bangs to skim just above my dark eyes, I exit the room.

I stuff my hands into the pockets of my sweatshirt, manoeuvring through the various students crowded together with their friends and siblings to celebrate Christmas day before heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Many were probably going to skip out on the most important meal of the day to leave their stomachs empty for the grand Christmas feast later that afternoon. Even I consider doing that, but I'm eager to get some Quidditch practice in today and full meals are necessary for me to push myself to the limit.

I almost feel jealous watching the people interacting around me as I make my way out of the Gryffindor common room, heading off towards the Great Hall. I wish I was with my family right now instead of being stuck at Hogwarts, I want to chat away about Quidditch with my brother and watch muggle television with my mother, I want to mourn my father's death with the two people who can comfort me. I laugh under my breath at the fact that I am miserable on Christmas, thinking about being all alone and not to mention missing most of my friends from over the years. I am just grateful that Manny is still at school to keep me company.

As if anticipating my loneliness and downer attitude on this day, I hear a voice call to me as I approach the Great Hall. I glance up, eyes wide, eyebrows raised to find Manny running towards me from her waiting place near the entrance. She is dressed modestly, her slim legs tucked into darkly-coloured jeans and her torso hugged by a maroon hand knit jumper. Her hair is held up in a messy bun, several strands falling free to frame her excited features. She drags Emmett behind her, his expression neutral but lacking its usual sternness. His dark nutmeg hair falls free about his handsome face, slightly messy as if he has only recently awoken with his well-shaped figure dressed in a pair of scuffed up jeans and a long-sleeved shirt of dark colours.

"Merry Christmas, Darce!" She exclaims, enveloping me in a tight embrace before I can even register her words.

"Merry Christmas to you too," I laugh back when I break free from her hold, her lips spreading into a toothy grin as I nod to Emmett. "Merry Christmas, Boot."

"Merry Christmas, Simmons." He nods back.

"Don't be so formal you guys, it's Christmas!" Manny intercepts, clearly infected with the Christmas energy many of the younger students are drugged with. "We've been waiting for you for a while, what took so long?"

"Oh, I didn't realise," I blurt, actually stunned by the fact that she would postpone the start to the Christmas celebrations for me. "But thanks for waiting."

"No problem, I need my friends with me before I can start celebrating Christmas." She grins and links her arms through mine and Emmett's before guiding us into the Great Hall.

The gargantuan hall is sprinkled in extravagant decorations with streamers stretching overhead, Christmas trees dotted about the floor drenched in baubles and candy canes and a gorgeous winter sky simulated across the ceiling. Manny moves us towards the Ravenclaw table, sitting us down in our own separate little area as if to keep our celebration private. Plates of extravagant breakfast foods are dotted about the table, making my mouth practically water at both the wonderful sight and the delicious scent.

"I'm glad you weren't any later, I've been absolutely starving." Manny beams as she piles food onto her plate, her portion almost matching that of Emmett who is nearly twice her height and a well-chiselled figure.

Now comparing her food portions to that of Emmett, her metabolism and love of exercise is astounding and I wonder how she isn't massive. But I quickly put the thoughts out of my head and dig into my own breakfast, happy to eat as much as I want in preparation for my own personal Quidditch practice this evening. I probably should invite Emmett and Manny to train with me, but it _is _freezing outside and I am mostly training just to get back on the Quidditch pitch. I feel like I have gone into Quidditch withdrawal and just need to play again, even if it's in the middle of a snowstorm.

"What are everyone's plans for today?" Manny pipes up after swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "I was thinking if we could spend the day together and then have dinner together, or if you guys have other things to do, we can meet back here at dinner and then just hang out all evening. I mean I'm going to take time out to write to my family and wish them well so I'm good with either option."

I roll my eyes and glance at her, my eyebrows arched. I know as well as she does that she's lying, she wants to take time out to cuddle on up to Cassair and snog for hours on end. She shoots a warning gaze back at me, demanding I stop looking at her that way, confirming that my suspicions are right. It has been like this since I found out, her splitting her time between Cassair and her friends and from time to time, asking me to cover for her if Emmett asks after her.

"I'm fine with either." Emmett mutters into his food moments later, showing more interest in his meal than us, completely unaware of the looks we are giving one another.

"I've got some things to do during the day," I admit, Manny smiling at me gratefully for giving her free time to spend with Cassair. If she didn't have other plans, I would have considered inviting her along to practice, maybe Emmett too. But I need the time to sort out my mind, to clear it of my worries so that I can enjoy my section of Manny's company for the rest of the evening. "But I'll only be a few hours, we can get together before dinner as soon as I finish if you want."

"That's perfect," she grins happily, bubbling with excitement over the time she'll be spending with Cassair. "I'll do everything I need to do when you're gone so we just need to arrange a place to meet whenever you finish."

I sigh into my food as I slump my shoulders forward in defeat. Part of me is irked that my friend is gallivanting off with a complete pervert, but another part finds it hard to be annoyed when she looks so happy, when her grin doubles at the mere thought of the prat. But before I can decide whether I am okay with Manny's new relationship–and newfound happiness–a screech echoes through the Great Hall, followed by another and then another. A whole chorus of shrieks and caws sings through the room as owls swoop down, packages of various shapes and sizes dropping from them to the eager students below.

Parcels rain down to the students around us before a few reach where we sit secluded from the others. A few small presents reach Emmett in a cluster, clearly small gifts from many far off relatives that care about him, but don't know him exceptionally well. A set of envelopes sprinkle around me and a single–but monstrously huge–present drops down in front of Manny's wide-eyed gaze.

"Jude!" She exclaims moments later after fingering the gift tag and finally registering it is meant for her. "This is too much..."

Her words trail off as the realisation leaves her speechless. She runs the buds of her fingers delicately over the gift as if fearing it will shatter to pieces under her touch and be nothing by a fairytale.

"You deserve it." Emmett speaks up with a small smile as he opens the little trinkets from the various members of his extended family.

"I don't, I've never had anything like _this_," She gawks. "We can't afford these things; we don't do presents, we–"

"Just open it; you don't even know what _this _is," I interrupt. "And Jude probably put some amount of effort into getting something you'd like _and _deserve."

Eventually she relents and carefully peal open the wrapping, avoiding creating a single tear or imperfection. Despite her insistence that Jude getting her an oversized gift is too much, she grins from ear-to-ear as she goes. Having come from a poor muggle family, she says she has never really done proper gifts, they barely even celebrate Christmas. That's why she always stays at Hogwarts, she explains, because here she gets a special day that she'd never even dream of having back home.

After watching her grin and slowly make her way through the many layers of protective wrapping encasing her gift for a while, I turn my attention to the few envelopes before me, most likely containing postcards and photos from my mother and brother on their travels. Maybe a Christmas card or two will be in here too, definitely one from my family amongst all the postcards detailing their fun without me.

Just as I predicted, I open the envelopes to find a few Christmas cards from my grandparents and my only extended relatives; my mother's younger sister, her twice-divorced husband and their only child who happens to be far too young to know how to write her own name let alone a Christmas card to me. All of the cards–apart from the one sent by my paternal grandparents–have been sent to me by my brother though, my mother's muggle family unaware of our position as half-blood wizards. Soon I reach the last two envelopes bound together with ribbon and decorated by my mother's elegant cursive writing.

One of the envelopes is of a normal size, although slightly bulky and contains photos and postcards as well as a brief letter updating me on my family's business. The second envelope is larger in both width and length, stuffed to the brim with padding to ensure that whatever is held within remains undamaged. In it I find a folded up letter and–tucked deep within the padding–two small black boxes. The small of the boxes holds a jewellery ornament consisting of a golden sphere rimmed with dangling wings, forming a golden snitch whilst the larger contains a glossy black cord with a silver Quidditch broom pendant hanging from it, forming a necklace I recognise.

I know I've seen it before, draped by my mother's bedside or over the mantelpiece, watching over us. When I peel open the letter and skim over it, I finally understand what these gifts really are.

_Merry Christmas, Darcy, have a wonderful day!_

_We are missing you terribly here. Things just aren't quite the same without my little girl here; your brother is getting horribly frustrated with my limited knowledge of your wizarding affairs. _

I roll my eyes at my mother with a small laugh at her expense as I continue further, anxious to reach the explanation for my present.

_Hopefully this owl system you two use is reliable enough and this letter along with your Christmas present has reached you in time. I know you must be wondering about what I have given you, I have to be honest and say your brother helped me to pick out the second pendant, he said the golden snitch would personalise the necklace for you. I didn't even try to understand._

_But I'm sure you recognise the necklace from here and there, I've had trouble letting go of it or finding a proper place for it in the house. I think the best place for it is with you, it's what your father would have wanted. I bought the broom pendant for him when we first met; he already had the leather cord. He used to wear the necklace all the time, to every one of his games, he even wore it to our wedding. He never dared to take it off; he said it was his good luck charm, a piece of his family to keep with him at all times. _

_I know we all miss him dearly and every day I see more and more of him in you and your brother, but I know it's time to let this small part of him go, to pass it on to his daughter. You're almost eighteen, you're almost all grown up and your brother tells me you're doing brilliantly in Quidditch, he wonders if it will distract from your studies. You really are _just _like your father and he would want you to always have a piece of him and your family with you. He would be _so _proud of you right now–_

I stop reading as tears swell up in my eyes, blurring my sight into an indistinguishable mess. I try and blink them away, but they persist, threatening to burst out and stream down my cheeks at any moment, sending me into a sobbing mess.

"That's beautiful, Darce, who is it from?" Manny's voice echoes through me, suddenly throttling me into action.

I quickly slip my mother's letter and gifts back into their envelope before tucking it into my jumper. I scramble to my feet, hiding my fast approaching tears behind the layers of my hair. I don't have time to gather up my other envelopes; they don't matter right now so instead I just abandon them. I am desperate to get away from this very public place and my impending meltdown.

"Where are you going?" I hear Manny call after me as I flee from the room. I call at her over my shoulder in between sniffles, my sentence coming out so fast it almost sounds like one word as I don't care if she can actually hear me or not.

"I _need_ to practice."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

_Author's Note: _Woop, I quite enjoyed writing this chapter. ^^ Made me very happy in a very twisted way. xD Although it is a weird chapter in terms of Darcy's perspective, but grief does make a perspective very warped and lack a lot of sense.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Fourteen<em>

The ashen grey sky is stained in streaks of white as ivory flakes trickle down, covering the ground below in the crust of snow I now trudge through. My hands are curled around the handle of my broom, dragging it alongside me as I struggle through the snowfall. Gusts of full force wind rush passed me, whipping every tangle of sandy hair about my chilled features as the cold nips at any sliver of bare flesh. But a heat burns off of my cheeks through the winter frost, their rose colour highlighted by the trails of tears cascading down my features before dropping off of my chin into the field of snow.

I can feel my mother's now crumpled up letter crunch in the pocket of my jeans as I approach the empty Quidditch pitch with the cold metal of my father's pendant–as well as my own one–pressing against my chest. But it is a good kind of cold, each shiver it sends through me a reminder of my beloved father, a reminder of my connection to him. I almost feel him with me, walking the same as I towards the grounds of a sport we both love, a good luck charm tucked safely beneath his clothes, a piece of his family always with him.

I tighten my grip on my broom as I stand on the empty pitch, the spectator stands stripped of their colours and vibrancy. I sigh, my breath forming a shroud of hot air over my weeping before evaporating away into the cold, leaving me exposed once more. Tugging my hood over my head in a futile attempt to form a shield against the cold, I assure myself that I need this; I need to be out on this pitch, _alone. _I need to be where I feel at home. With that repeating through my mind, I mount my broom and lift off, disappearing into the sheets of snow tumbling down around me.

I move quickly through the sky, pushing myself to my limit and beyond, desperate to just exhaust both my body and my mind. With each manoeuvre through the sunless sky, a heat boils up in my body and a new burst of tears stream down my cheeks, both somehow a comfort to me. All of this madness is a comfort to me in a way I'm not going to try to understand. I just know it is one.

"What the hell are you doing?" A shouting voice seeps into my thoughts before becoming lost in the snow flurry. "Simmons!"

I barely register the noise, the sting of my pendants against my bare flesh drawing me back into my own world every time the voice calls up to me, demanding answers and explanations. Only its last words reach me, a groan of frustration and sour insult that briefly breaks my trance.

"I'll have to come up there and get you myself, you bloody psychopath."

But the words soon dissipate just like the others, the voices of my grief overpowering the speaker hidden somewhere on the ground, having given up straining their voice to shout after me. Instead of searching for the speaker, I dive deeper into the building snowstorm to escape the reality I dread. I just want to escape for a while.

"You are going to get yourself killed, you idiot," the voice snaps moments later, now much closer and far louder. "And I'm going to end up down a Seeker."

I glance to my side and barely make out the faint outline of the speaker through the curtains of snow. That chiselled figure, that stern and irritated voice, it doesn't take me long to figure out who has followed me here. What I can't figure out is why, why can't he just leave me alone? I'm not hurting anyone–except maybe myself–I'm not doing anything wrong.

"Simmons, get a grip! This is just stupidity at its greatest!" He booms so loud it seems to echo through the walls of the snowstorm.

I shake my head and press on, trying to get away from him, trying to hide myself and the sobs I try to suffocate away, the tears I try to wipe from my face. But it's useless, I cannot fully escape, I've already reached my peak. And I cannot hide my weeping, trying to stifle it just somehow makes it worse, makes my sniffles louder, my tears heavier, my heart sorer.

Suddenly a warmth floods over me as a hand curls around my upper arm, a figure mere millimetres from mine. I can see him clearly now through the corner of my eye, his expression a mixture of worry and fury–although it is mostly the latter. I want to shout at him, to curse him away, but I refuse to speak, to raise my head and let him see the state I am in.

"Look, you need to stop," he demands now, tugging on my arm. "Or you're going to hurt yourself."

I sacrifice my dignity, my pride. I don't need them right now, I need this and I need him to understand. I need him to let me go, _I _need to let myself go.

"Please just let me go, Emmett!" My voice comes out as a cracked sob and he doesn't have to see my tear-stained face to know what I've been doing. "I need to do this. Please."

His hold on me softens as he thinks over what to do before releasing me completely. But he doesn't leave as he instead lingers beside me, watching my every movement.

"Okay, but I won't you get yourself killed," he says in an almost scolding tone. "So I can't let you do this alone."

* * *

><p>I can feel my muscles lose their tension and my eyelids grow heavy as I am overcome with exhaustion. I struggle to keep my grip on the broom handle tight as my arms threaten to collapse at any moment. But despite the only remaining reasonable part of my mind screaming for me to stop, I push on as stubbornly as ever. I know I can do this even though I know it is just plain stupid, I know I'll be okay even though I know I'm going to make myself ill. Every contradiction just forces me to continue on, to breach my limits even further.<p>

"You need to stop now," Emmett says as he, the eternal voice of reason, starts scolding me again. "I'm not going to be an accessory to your suicide."

"I'm fine." I lie, but my voice betrays me, becoming nothing but a stuttering mess.

"You're exhausted, you're soaking wet and you're freezing; how do any of those things amount to fine?" He growls, fed up with my behaviour now.

"T-t-they just do." I try to snap back as my body begins to shake, my arms collapsing beneath me.

But before my broom with me in tow can plummet to the ground and probably put me in a coma, a strong arm wraps around my waist as if anticipating my cave in. Emmett keeps me stable, holding me tight into his side as I just barely manage to keep a hold on my broom. He isn't interested in hearing any more of my refusals as he lowers us to the ground, although I'm pretty sure I won't be able to muster up the strength to put up a fight anyway. He hoists me off of my broom as he dismounts his own, keeping a tight grasp on my waist to prevent me from toppling over and no doubt him having to drag me to the hospital wing.

With both of our brooms tucked under his free arm, he escorts me through the snow and if I had even a sliver of strength, I would be putting up a terrible fight. However in this exhausted state the most I can manage is occasionally flailing my arms around limply, which earns only a groan about my immaturity or an eye roll from him. I wish I had the strength to fight back or at least the strength to argue and throw insults back. After stuffing our brooms into the shed, he supports me with his second arm as well and helps me conquer the last few paces back to the castle.

The sudden change from freezing cold to relatively warm as we enter one of the hallways of Hogwarts sends a stinging sensation rushing over us. He leans me against the nearest wall, still holding a hand out in case I should fall but needing a break himself to adjust to the temperature change. I rest against the wall, feeling my sweater mould into the dips of the wall's stonework as my body slowly regulates its temperature to accommodate the warmth and my utterly drenched clothing.

In an attempt to help my body regulate and prevent myself from getting the flu, I sluggishly peel off my sweater which seems to have gained several stones in weight from my time spend out in the thick snowfall. I feel slightly embarrassed as I find my top underneath is soaking as well, clinging to every curve of my torso, but I can't be bothered to stuff myself back into my jumper. At least my top stops me from suddenly overheating or becoming ill, not to mention I no doubt look utterly horrible anyway. My face is stuffy and sore from the bursts of tears–this episode one of the first times I have cried in a while as well–and my hair sticks to my pale skin, taking on a slightly darker colour as it too is drenched. In fact, I give up worrying about my top as at this present moment I probably have the least sex appeal I have ever had and a wet–and thanks to that fact, now tight-fitting–shirt is not going to make me suddenly look like a slut. If anything it makes me look more like a hobo.

"So what happened?" Emmett asks as he shakes his head, trying to separate the melted snowflakes from his hair. "Why did you decide to have a breakdown in the middle of a blizzard?"

"It wasn't a blizzard when I started, how was I supposed to know it would get worse?" I mutter with my voice still cracked and uneasy.

"Because it's the middle of the fucking winter," he hisses as he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, which makes mine in its soaking and sudden tightness. It reveals every sliver of his sculpted torso and makes me feel a bit uneasy, however I'm grateful that he hasn't just tugged it off to reveal what I suspect lies beneath. "So what put you in such a state that a nice fly around in the snow sounded like a good idea?"

"I should get going; I need to get out of these wet clothes." I mumble, dropping my gaze to the floor in shame.

But as I try to slither away from him, he slams his palms into the wall either side of my face, caging me in his toned arms with a look of annoyance on his face. His piercing crystal blue eyes stare me down through fringes of his dark chocolate hair that cling to his attractive features, highlighting them. If I had not wasted all my energy, I probably would be punching him in the face right now before fleeing the scene. Instead, to accommodate my exhaustion, I try to sink deeper into the wall and expand the awkwardly miniscule gap between our bodies.

"Look, I went out there and dragged you away from a coma or certain death," he snarls. "So I deserve an explanation."

"Why did you even come?" I try to distract him from the reason for my borderline hormonal behaviour.

"I suppose to a psycho like you, worrying about a teammate and classmate of mine when she runs off from breakfast all of a sudden is completely irrational."

"There is nothing to worry about, I'm alright."

"Yeah, you look brilliant," He retorts sarcastically, glaring hard at me for wasting his time before finally softening his expression and his tone. "I came to help you so let me know what's going on, let me help."

"You can't help and I don't see why you'd want to."

"It's my job as Captain to help my teammates," he says quickly, clearly taking the first excuse that came to his mind in order to prod an explanation out of me sooner. "And you'll never know if I can help until you tell me."

I curse at him under my breath, he has me there. I'm starting to wonder why he has to be the voice of reason all the time. Even when he blew up at Potter that was a reasonable response, at least to me it was. I shake these irrelevant thoughts from my mind and let out a sigh, knowing I _do _owe him an explanation especially if I don't want him to relay what happened to Manny.

"Okay, I'll talk to you about what happened," I concede defeat. "But you can't tell Manny. I'm completely serious, you can't tell her _anything_. I don't want to worry her now that she's back to normal."

He nods in agreement with my terms, leaning in slightly closer to me as my voice drops, making sure he can hear my every word. I wonder if he is so interested because he is expecting a superficial answer and thus an excuse to yell at me or because he is expecting a deep answer and actually wants to help. Maybe talking to him actually will help, talking to an outsider who I can trust to some degree, but isn't so close to me that I'll be reminded of their reaction every time I am around them.

"I guess I should start explaining about what happened before I came to Hogwarts," I begin explaining, speaking freely as he listens intently.

I explain how my father was a wizard and my mother a muggle, about how my father was a professional Quidditch Chaser and I would spend every moment of my childhood watching his games, listening to his Quidditch tales or playing Quidditch with him and my brother. I explain how I was always closer to him, how I never wanted to part from him or my brother, how the two were my best friends and how when I was 7, his untimely death came. I explain how I cried for days and nights, how my mother suddenly had to raise two magical children whilst working on a muggle's salary–and not a very good one at first. I explain how happy I was when he was around, so happy that it almost felt like a fairytale and how Quidditch has always been my only connection to him since he passed away, the last living remnant of the past we shared.

I explain how I used to be such a carefree little social butterfly, how his death is what make me this standoffish bitch that stands before him. I explain how coming to Hogwarts made everything better, how having the huge group of friends made up of the Potters and Weasleys made me feel supported, made me feel safe. I explain how being able to share Quidditch, my father's memory, with these friends I had made me finally happy again and how James Potter was the only one of them who really knew the true scars my father's death left with me. I explain how I can never forgive Potter for taking that happiness away from me, those friends and Quidditch away from me, but how I will always be thankful that Manny, Jude and Emmett gave it back to me. And finally I explain about the gifts I received today, even showing him the necklace, cradling the silver broom pendant and the newly added golden snitch pendant between my fingers gently, I explain how I felt when I got these and how I just needed to feel that connection to my dad again.

All the while as I ramble on and on, occasionally choking sobs seeping through my words, I let my tears fall freely down my face, no longer caring about embarrassing myself any further. But instead of making me feel ashamed, Emmett makes me feel comfortable as he listens intently, slowing dropping his arms, no longer trapping me here. But I don't run away, I finish my story, I finish the truth I owe him and I find I don't regret telling him.

"I guess I just wanted to escape back into the fairytale," I finish up my story with this musing on my behaviour between my tears and sniffles. "It felt like now that I have another link to my father, I can finally reach back into that happiness. That doesn't make much sense, does it?"

"It makes perfect sense." He smiles before slipping one of his arms gently around me, pulling me into a soft embrace.

I almost recoil away until I feel his second arm encase me, holding me to his warm form. Instead of feeling repulsed or tightly trapped in his embrace, I feel comforted as he strokes my hair and assures me that what I've said makes sense, I even snuggle myself further into his hold. I realise that this hug, this comforting is just what I need at the moment. I don't need to be out there in the cold, risking my health. I just need _this_, I just need _him_.

"At least having daddy issues makes a girl more attractive, right?" I joke into his chest, trying to lighten the mood and stamp out the awkwardness I feel at my odd thoughts of needing him.

"It really does," He replies with a laugh as he squeezes me tighter. "Why do you think I _actually _went after you?"

"Gee thanks, I'm glad it's not because you care about my wellbeing," I chuckle, draping my arms around him to hug him back as the awkwardness now evaporates. "But really, thanks. I'm glad you turned up. After all getting drenched and suffering through a hug with you is better than getting drenched and suffering through a coma, I mean at least now I can still play Quidditch."

"Yeah, with all that crazy boiling up in your head," he taps the fingers of his hand previously stroking my hair on the back of my head as he speaks. "Our opponents are going to end up in comas."

Suddenly our light-hearted yet comforting atmosphere becomes tainted by a sneering voice from further down the hallway. I can feel Emmett's body tense up alongside mine with his hands curling into fists as my eyes narrow into a glare at the intruder whose words make anger bubble up inside of me.

"I think I might go into a coma just listening to all this _bullshit_."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_Author's Note: _I realised this story is reaching its end. I mean there's still a few chapters left, it's not just going to suddenly end in the next chapter, but things will start wrapping up soon I guess. It's weird to think that will happen. Oh well. D:

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Fifteen<em>

"Is following me your new hobby, Potter?" I snarl, still locked in Emmett's embrace although the awkwardness has returned now that we are being watched. "You really need to get out more."

James barks out a humourless laugh, mocking my jab before narrowing his eyes into a glare through his dark mop of hair. His eyes skate over us, outlining our positions as if he is trying to capture every small detail of this scene in his memory. Each flicker of his eyes leaves me feeling more exposed, embarrassed and just plain uncomfortable.

"I see Boot is _your_ new hobby, Dare." Potter responds, smirking as my old nickname rolls off of his tongue and makes my insides squirm.

"Grow up, I'm not her new anything," Emmett brushes him off as he suddenly holds me at arm's length to prove his point. "I'm just a concerned third party."

"You've got your hooks in deep with this one," Potter speaks up to me over the Ravenclaw, ignoring his protests to such assumptions. "He's really fallen for all your bullshit. But you make lies a work of art with those crocodile tears; they even had _me_ fooled way back when."

"Leave her alone," Emmett orders, fed up with his unwanted presence. "Leave _us _alone."

When Potter doesn't scurry back to wherever he came from, Emmett's features knit together into an aggravated expression as he starts to pull away from me further, intending to force the Gryffindor out of here. But before he can take a step forward, my hands find a mind of their own and grasp hold of his arms, begging him to stay. I want to let him go, I want to let him beat the living daylights out of Potter–heck, I even want to join in–but I'm not ready to give this up, to give up the comfort he was just giving me and the confiding I had just done in him. I'm not ready to stuff everything back into the darkest depths of my mind, not just yet.

I breathe a sigh of relief as he understands my silent pleading and settles back down, his arms returning to their new-found niche, wrapping around me once more. I feel safe again–although my cheeks still burn scarlet and the air is stiff with an awkward tension–and relax back into his embrace. I suppose his almost protective hold on me after my vulnerable confession and Potter's untimely arrival makes me feel reassured, calmed as if neither the boy who enjoys making my life miserable nor my hatred of weakness and my deeper emotions can attack me right now.

"I knew I was right," James speaks up, imitating hooks with his pointer and middle fingers on both hands. "Her hooks are in deep."

"Don't you have any unfortunate friends or family to go bother?" I hiss, not even in the mood to fight with him for once as instead I just want to be left alone with Emmett, with someone who isn't going to try to take everything away from me. "Seriously, just go."

"Actually I am doing my Head Boy duties," he retorts in a matter-of-fact tone. "You know, patrolling the halls of Hogwarts to search out any _dirty little secrets_ for me to clean up."

"Whatever you think is going on, isn't so run back to your prefects."

"What I think is going on is _inappropriate _behaviour in a _public _hallway and I'm pretty sure that's at least frowned upon here," he smirks wider, wiggling his eyebrows to twist his face into a perverted expression. "No matter how many times _we_ played around in hallways like this."

"I think I may just projectile vomit." I mumble as I feel Emmett's arms stiffen, his fists tightening at Potter's remark.

"Me too," he mutters with a frown. "And I might have to force that Head Boy badge down your throat, Potter, if you don't keep your mouth shut."

"Now, now shouldn't you be the taking orders from me?" Potter taunts, tapping the badge in question pinned onto his top.

"Are you seriously drunk on the power over being Head Boy at Hogwarts?" I roll my eyes. "That's pathetic even for you."

"It's not so pathetic when I can punish others for any reason I see fit." I choke on a laugh at his words, astounded that he is really _so _desperate to get some sort of frown or misery out of me that he is going to act like a five-year-old.

"And I thought _you _needed to grow up." Emmett jokes to me, making sure he is just loud enough for Potter to hear him.

"She can do all the growing up she needs in detention tomorrow," Potter intercepts, his irritation and immaturity growing with each passing moment. "As can you, Boot. I might even take some points away."

"You can't take points from a different house, genius. Are you going to punish us by taking points from your _own_ house?" I mock. "Or do you have any more stupidity to share?"

"I think that's about it," he sneers back. "Enjoy the better man's leftovers, Boot."

As his angry fast-paced footsteps fade away, Emmett and I turn our attention back to one another, fully absorbing the closeness of our bodies. I feel my chest constrict against him, the level of awkwardness rising so fast that I almost wish Potter would come back and distract me seeing as he is the one who created this tension in the first place. As if sensing my discomfort battling stubborn desire to stay in his embrace, Emmett speaks up whilst ruffling a hand through my hair.

"Looks like we've got detention together," he teases. "Do you want to have another go at putting yourself into a coma?"

"I think it's out of my system." I reply as I shove him playfully but his strong arms simply pull me back to his form.

Then, reading one another's minds and our wishes to diffuse any remaining tension, the pair of us finally do something right; we both burst out laughing.

* * *

><p>I linger outside the Great Hall that evening as the students rush passed me to grab seats for the Christmas Feast. I envy them, desperate to join them and eat until I am about to burst, then eat some more. But I have to wait; I arranged to meet Manny and Emmett here for dinner as we agreed at breakfast so I suffer through my hunger. I guess this is karma for me being late to breakfast when Manny and an unwilling Emmett were waiting for me to arrive.<p>

The sound of footsteps heading towards me silences my thoughts as I lift myself onto the tips of my toes, trying to find Manny through the ground of students. Instead of my close friend emerging from the horde of bodies moments later, Emmett bursts through, growling over his shoulder at someone that has shoved him. He straightens up, looking around before spotting me and mirroring my unsure expression, clearly expecting Manny to be here. But instead of glaring at him and greeting him with animosity as I would any other day than this, I give him a half-smile, silently inviting him to wait with me for our common friend.

"Nice to know you haven't dropped into a coma from more stupid blizzard antics." He greets.

"It's a shame you haven't dropped into one." I grin back as he just rolls his eyes at me.

"Well the night is still young; you can try bludgeoning me into a coma after we eat."

"You're assuming I'll still be able to move after dinner," I correct. "I go for all out paralysis on Christmas."

"How attractive," he teases. "I'm surprised men can keep their hands off of you."

"As opposed to _all_ the women falling at your feet,"

Before our banter can evolve into an argument–playful or not–our third party member appears, her glossy dark locks bouncing around her petite form as she bounds towards us, a pearly white grin spreading across her tanned features. She practically radiates happiness, making it clear to me that she has been spending time with Cassair who seems to be some kind of drug for her. She is utterly giddy every time she sees him after all.

"Sorry for keeping you," she beams with a glance over her shoulder, no doubt making sure her secret companion hasn't followed her and revealed himself to Emmett. "I just lost track of time."

"Doing what?" He asks with an arch of his eyebrows.

"Just things," she replies vaguely.

"Or one specific Irish thing," I mumble before one of her elbows suddenly collides with my ribs.

"What was that, Darce?" She hisses through her teeth defensively.

"Nothing, I'm just hungry." I growl back, rubbing a hand over my ribs as we enter the hall, quickly finding our seats from breakfast.

My stomach grumbles as I dish myself up some food, eager to dig into the variety of roasted meats and vegetables followed by whatever we are served for dessert. I don't even care how I look as I begin digging into my plate full of food, I'm absolutely starving from the whirlwind of a day I've had.

"I see you weren't kidding around about that paralysis," Emmett pipes up as he makes his way through his own meal. "Maybe you'll even get in some obesity as well."

"I'm sure you've got enough ugly for the both of us," I reply in between my mouthfuls of food. "So I'll stick to the food coma."

"This is some charming dinner conversation you two have." Manny adds, watching our exchange curiously.

"It's hard to have a charming conversation with _that_." Emmett points to me just as I stuff my mouth full of perfectly roasted turkey with my cheeks practically swelling.

"The moron has a point." I state once I forcefully swallow my mouthful, Manny shooting me a look of bewilderment that I'm not properly fighting with Emmett.

But–much to her annoyance–before she can question me on anything, cheers slice through our conversation, various seventh year Ravenclaw males spotting Emmett and inviting him over. I recognise a few of them from the Quidditch team or just walking to and from classes with Emmett and Jude when Manny isn't around. Emmett glances at us for a moment as if waiting to see if we will object, but when no objection comes he grins and slides over to his friends. Boisterous laughter erupts from the boys, welcoming him into their no doubt stupid conversation.

"Enjoy your day with Finnigan?" I say once Emmett is out of hearing range, part of me curious as to how her day was but the other part dreading the time she spends with the arsehole in question.

"What was that?" She asks with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, my own question completely ignored. "Where is all the hostility and hatred?"

"I could ask you the same thing; you're the one dating the devil's advocate." I challenge, not interested in sharing the truth behind my sudden friendship with Emmett.

"Yeah, but you've venomously hated Emmett for months almost as much as you hate Potter," she reminds me. "And you've taken any opportunity to insult him."

"Just because I don't necessarily want him to drop dead doesn't mean I won't still be insulting him all the time." I correct but Manny just rolls her eyes at me.

"Still, _this _is weird, you can't deny that you don't hate him anymore and you are treating him differently."

"And I repeat my point that _you_ did the same with Cassair. The only difference is I'm not dating nor going to date Emmett."

"Well you wanted to know _why _things changed with Cassair," she reminds me, unwilling to let go of my new attitude towards Emmett. "So I have a right to know why things changed with you two."

"It's nothing scandalous; we just spent the day hanging out." I reply with a shrug.

"Hanging out? Why?"

"Because Jude and you weren't here to keep either of us company. We just practiced some Quidditch, talked about tactics, nothing terribly interesting." I lie straight through my teeth, but my words come out fluid and natural.

"That's all you did? Well, why didn't you guys include me? I'm a part of the Quidditch team too," suddenly she gasps through her words, her facing taking on a look of horror. "Oh god, is he mad at me? Does he know about Cassair?"

"No, calm down," I say quickly, shaking my head to emphasise just how wrong she is. "He hasn't said anything about it and _I _didn't tell him so I'm sure he's just as ignorant as ever. It was just that _you _said you were busy today, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I guess I'm just a bit paranoid," she laughs lightly, relief flooding over her as her whole body relaxes and she returns to her plate of food. "I should be thanking you then, for keeping him busy today. You stopped him from looking for me and finding out about Cassair."

"Look, as much as I enjoy Cassair not being an active part of our lives, why are you so intent on keeping your relationship a secret? I mean _you _are the one who said you _really _like him, how can you like someone you're ashamed of?"

"It's not that I'm ashamed of him, it's just that I'm scared of how others will react–how Jude and Emmett will react," she hangs her head with a sigh. "I don't enjoy lying to my best friends, but they're going to flip. I'd just rather keep this from them until Jude gets back to school and I can tell them together and, you know, deal with their reactions together."

"Well, I'll be here to help if you want," I suggest, trying to comfort her as best I can. "Worse comes to worst, I'll just make sure they don't go off and beat the snot out of Cassair."

"Because that's your right?"

"Yep, if I can't murder him, no one can," I grin. "Besides I've already punched him in the face so they can take comfort in that."

"His bruise has only just faded," Manny giggles lightly. "He told James he ran into a door instead of admitting that it was your handiwork."

"That's a shame, I'm pretty proud of the damage I left on him," I reply, imagining the look on his face if he found out I left the bruise on his best friend's smug face. "And it would've been wonderful to hold it over Potter's head."

"I'm not sure if I approve of the fact that you punched my boyfriend yet." She reminds me, but instead of worrying about her reaction to my behaviour, I instead am startled by her use of the term _boyfriend_.

Are her and Cassair really a couple? Do they go out on dates, talk and have things in common? Or does he just let her label him as her boyfriend to stick his tongue down her throat? I'm not sure what makes me more nauseous; the notion of her and him being an actual couple or him fooling her into thinking they are one to get just what he wants. Perhaps against my better judgement–and what is best for my stomach contents–I prod her for information, desperate to know what exactly their relationship is.

"So Cassair and you _are_ a couple? You know boyfriend, girlfriend and so on?" I ask slowly, keeping my eyes glued on the plate below me awkwardly.

"I guess so," she says before pausing as if she herself is wondering the same thing. When she speaks again, I can imagine the wide smile on her lips as her voice becomes cheerful and reassured. "We're a couple, even he refers to us as one and he treats me like a girlfriend, not just... Well you know."

"What did you guys do today?" I enquire, hoping their Christmas plans will answer my question as I don't quite trust her words, paranoid that Cassair has just planted the idea in her head without any grounding.

"I thought we were just going to hang out, be alone," she clears her throat, somewhat embarrassed at the fact that she was intending to just snog his face off for most of the day. "But he really surprised me. It has been an amazing day; flowers, a hand-woven bracelet, a date in Hogsmeade and a cuddle in the Gryffindor common room by the open fire. I've never been in there before and despite all the sneaking around just to get in, it's absolutely beautiful."

I frown at the fact that the two have been all over each other on _my _territory, no doubt in one of the chairs _I _sit in by the fire. Apart from that though, I have to admit her day with Cassair sounds almost sickeningly romantic. I glance up at her to see her smiling, confirming just how much she enjoyed the day out as her expression sits in a dreamy haze. She has her wrist presented before her, the Celtic-styled hand-woven band wrapped around it tightly, marking her as Cassair's.

"That's nice..." I say half-heartedly as I stare at the bracelet. "I can't believe Cassair did all that stuff for you."

"Is that unlike him?" She asks eagerly, excited by the notion that she is special. A notion I'm starting to think may be true.

"Based on what I've seen over the years, yes," I reply honestly, recalling the various girls Cassair has messed around with then dumped. "He usually just has a few meetings with a girl in a hallway or the back of the library then never speaks to her again after getting into and fully exploring her trousers. I've never seen him _really _date a girl nor give her anything of meaning."

"This has meaning?" She stares at her wrist.

"Yeah, it's one of the wristbands he wears all the time," I explain. "He has never taken any off–"

"Until now," she finishes for me before squealing in delight, earning herself a confused stare from various onlookers. "That's so sweet! This is amazing!"

"Calm down."

"How can I calm down? The beginning of a relationship is just so wonderful! Cassair is just so wonderful." She sighs dreamily and I consider beating myself to death with one of my utensils. Turns out the idea of the two being in a relationship is more nauseating than anything else.

"Congrats." I mumble as I dish myself up some Christmas pudding, unsure of how to react to Manny's excitement apart from throwing up everywhere.

"I know you don't like him, but this relationship is absolutely brilliant," she giggles before nudging me playfully. "Maybe you should find yourself a new relationship and we can gush over that as well."

"No thank you, you and Cassair is nauseating enough," I mutter, faking a retch. "And if I ever act like this over a boy, I want you to hex me. Honestly, you have to put me out of my misery."

"How do you know there isn't a boy you'll be happy to act like this over?" Manny asks coyly before glancing to where Emmett sits further down the table, joking around with his friends. "Maybe a boy you've just forged a friendship with and you've found out isn't so bad after all."

"Are you actively trying to make me vomit these days?"

"Are you protesting this just a little too much?" She teases.

"This is the appropriate amount to protest because it's not true." I snap.

"Maybe you just don't know it yet," she continues despite my snarling. "I mean it's awfully strange that you decided to strike up a friendship with Emmett _only _after I no longer have feelings for him and won't be hurt by it. Maybe now that you know I don't have feelings for him anymore and he is free for the taking, you subconsciously want to spend more time with him."

"That's crap and you know it," I mutter, glaring at her furiously. "I'm friends with him because you guys are and I'm only spending more time with him because I _have _to."

"When are you spending more time with him?" She asks excitedly, ignoring my protests once again.

"Tomorrow, we have detention together thanks to Potter."

"This is so exciting!" She squeals once again, giddy at me being forced into detention tomorrow. "Two of my best friends all alone in a quiet room with so many sparks flying that they soon give into temptation–"

"Please stop!" I cry, but she continues, gushing over the idea of Emmett and me whilst I just want a hole to open up beneath me and swallow me whole.

"You and Emmett sitting in a tree..." She trails off with her taunting song as I groan. "I can't wait!"

"Someone kill me now."


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_Author's Note: _I'm so glad I'm updating more frequently. ^^ I've missed writing this. And I felt really bad about abandoning it. xD I know this chapter is short and I had intended to add an extra scene on the end that would've been about two thousand words more, but when I actually wrote the chapter, I really felt it was best to end it without the extra scene instead. I'm going to put the scene at the beginning of the next chapter so that should make up for this. ^^ Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, sorry for the shortness again.

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><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Sixteen<em>

Manny's words echo through me as I slip into the classroom assigned for detention, finding myself a seat towards the back. There are only a few other students dotted about the room with a first-year professor slouched in his chair at the front, lost in a deep slumber with his head hanging down to his chest as he snores loudly. I slump over my chosen desk, resting my head in my hands as I listen to the memories of Manny's taunts and squeals. I suppose Manny's distress over Emmett is what birthed our friendship, but not for the reasons she thinks, not because I _subconsciously _want to be with him or whatever psycho-babble theories she has. We simply bonded because we were both worried about our mutual friend and happen to both enjoy insulting and threatening James Potter.

Although I agree that this sudden friendship seems suspicious and is incredibly surprising as even I didn't expect it to form, I can't deny that it's nice. Sharing Manny and Jude as our best friends meant we were bound to befriend one another eventually and I still appreciate having someone slightly further away from me and my situation to confide in. Plus I find myself actually enjoying our now playful arguments and inside jokes–which are mostly about comas and harming other people, namely Potter. I stifle a laugh as I think of when Jude returns, how he will react when there is no longer hatred and–serious–death threats between Emmett and I.

"Should I leave you alone to laugh to yourself?" A masculine voice interrupts my chuckles and deep thoughts. "Or can you suppress all that crazy for a bit?"

"Hello to you too, Boot," I reply as he takes the seat beside me, careful not to stir the supervising professor from his slumber. "And I would try suppressing it, but then all the voices in my head get a bit angry and things end up terribly awkward in there."

"Charming," he chuckles with a shake of his head. "And I see we're back to being on a last name basis."

"Only when you suggest I am mentally unstable."

"I was merely stating a fact." He corrects.

"Shut up." I say, shoving him and nearly sending him toppling out of his seat.

"You'd be sad if I shut up as you might have to _actually_ do work in detention." He teases once he settles back into his chair.

"You underestimate my ability to procrastinate and just generally be lazy."

"So what were you and the voices in your head laughing at?" He asks before widening his brilliant eyes with a smile. "There's a sentence I never thought I'd say."

"I was just thinking about Jude coming back," I admit. "A lot has changed over the holidays."

"True. Manny is spending a lot of time by herself and we're managing to spend time together without murdering one another." He agrees with a shrug.

"Who said I'm not planning on murdering you?" I taunt with a wide grin. "For all you know, this could all be a clever ploy of mine to lull you into a false sense of security and then bam! Take your life when your guard is down."

"My guard is never down around you," he corrects. "I've known just how much of a psychopath you are for a long time."

"Well damn, I'll just have to kill you in your sleep then," I sigh with an exaggerated pout. "What a shame, I was really excited for attacking you out of the blue."

"You know, I can't imagine why you don't have a crowd of friends around you," he gawks, his face pulled into an expression of fake astonishment. "You are just so charismatic. You should consider a career in public speaking."

"I should, shouldn't I? It'd go just as well as your comedic career, funny man."

"Ouch, insulting my sense of humour," Emmett keels over as if he has just taken a beating to the gut. "That's a low blow."

"If you were a lesser man, you would've made a perverted comment after 'low blow'." I muse.

"Hey, just because I didn't say it out loud doesn't mean I wasn't thinking it." He teases with a smirk as he leans towards me and raises his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh! Be still my beating heart," I shove him away again whilst trying to fight off a smile. "That's just what every girl wants to hear."

"I'm an eighteen-year-old guy, I can't help it." He says with a grin as he rests his hands behind his head and leans back casually.

"That's the dumbest excuse I have ever heard."

"But it's a pretty valid one." He adds.

"Nope, it's just bullshit." I slap my hand down on his toned stomach, startling him out of his relaxed pose.

"Don't hit my muscles," he growls, grabbing my hands to stop them from beating his abdomen again. "You might rearrange them and ruin my sexy body."

"I might ruin your _what_?" I scoff before bursting into giggles.

"I'll have you know I have a _very _sexy body, women worship me for it and everything." His words only increase my giggles into a full on laughing fit.

"Oh crap, I can't breathe!" I exclaim through my wheezing laughter as I clasp a hand over my mouth to muffle out my laughter.

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you." He challenges, grabbing hold of the hem of his top.

"No." I quickly refuse, slapping his hands away from his clothes.

There is no way I want to see what's underneath his shirt, not at all. I have a pretty good idea of what sort of chiselled form lies beneath, but I do _not _want or need to see it. He is my Quidditch Captain and my friend, that's all.

"Why? Afraid I'm telling the truth and you'll end up swooning over me?"

"More like you'll want to take a look under my shirt for repayment." I lie.

"I'm your Captain, I have free reign to see what's under your shirt if I want."

"Okay, now you _really _need to shut up!" I growl as I try to slap my hand across his abdomen again, but this time he sees it coming and easily dodges my attacks.

"You're just upset because I know _exactly _what to say to annoy you," he laughs as he shuffles his chair just out of my reach so I can't beat him anymore. "I can get under your skin far easier than you can mine."

"Ha! I annoyed you so much when we first met you wouldn't put me on the team." I challenge.

"How many times are you going to use that against me?" He groans with a frown.

"Until it stops working, then I'll find something else to use against you," I grin devilishly. A moment of silence settles between us before I speak up in a more serious tone. "You know, I never expected you to be like this. So casual and having such a sense of humour."

"Well I didn't expect you to not be a moody bitch all the time." He mocks.

"I'm actually trying to be serious," I try to frown at him, but a smile leaks through. "It's just you're so stern and serious all the time. You act like a grownup."

"I am a grownup, I'm eighteen. That's pretty old," he jokes before matching my more serious tone. "I know I can be stern though, mostly towards Quidditch. I just take the game and my position as Captain very seriously; all mistakes are on my head. I have a lot of responsibility."

"You're the Captain of a school Quidditch team, there isn't _that _much responsibility." I say, shooting him a look of disbelief.

"You would say that," he straightens himself up and looks down at me as if he is an adult and I am a small child. "You _are _the immature one after all."

"And you're not?" I exclaim incredulously. "You weren't exactly mature yesterday. In fact you're not being all that mature right now either."

"That's your fault," he points at me accusingly. "You see, you _make _me immature."

"Oh really? Nice to know I have such an influence over you." I smirk.

"Not really an influence, you're more like an infectious disease," his smile widens as he notices my frown at his words. "Sometimes I don't notice I have the disease and other times I just want someone to put me out of my misery."

"I'll be putting you out of your misery in a minute." I grumble, glaring at him murderously.

A silence settles between us as he presses his lips together, drawing his handsome face into a look of concentration. Whilst I still glare at him, he glances over me from head to toe, inspecting all of my features; my golden well-layered hair, my deep brown eyes, the sprinkling of freckles on my button nose, my short figure with curves dotted about here and there before lingering on my choice of shoes, a pair of worn-out converse covered in absurd drawings and threatening messages. He shakes his head and laughs under his breath before bringing his sky blue eyes back up to level with my confused expression.

"The more I think about it, the more shocking this really is." He says in a pensive tone.

"This?" I blurt in confusion.

"You know, us hanging out, talking and so on." Emmett replies with a roll of his eyes as if it was obvious.

"Fine, I won't talk anymore just so long as you shut up as well." I snarl, rolling my eyes as well and turning my head away from him.

"I never said we should stop talking, I never said _this _was bad." He states sharply as he grasps hold of my chin, tilting me back to look into his piercing eyes.

"Then why bring up how shocking it is?" I frown as he just shrugs.

"I'm not sure how to explain this." he releases his soft hold on my chin, leaning back into his chair with a thoughtful expression.

My skin tingles from his light yet firm touch; I can almost feel the imprint of his fingers lingering on my chin for a few moments before vanishing away. His touch reminds me of his comforting embrace and I almost want to snuggle back into arms–in fact if this place wasn't so public, I probably would have tugged his arms around me and dealt with the embarrassing fallout later.

"You really drive me up the wall, Darcy," I can't help but smile as he uses my first name. It rolls off of his tongue slick and smooth, drenched in his attractive accent and perfectly pitched voice. "You're argumentative, you're stubborn, you're violent and you are most definitely hostile."

"Gee thanks."

"You're welcome, thanks for proving my point," he says with a half-smile before continuing in his serious tone. "I was actually trying to say that I guess we're similar in some ways. We're both pretty stubborn and protective of our friends and ourselves, I'm fairly hostile although you beat me in that category."

"We share a passionate love of Quidditch and fiery hatred of Potter." I add.

"True," he pauses for a moment to lean his well-built figure closer to my minuscule one, to cup one side of my face in one of his strong hands, to run his calloused thumb over my cheekbone and tangle his fingertips through the roots of my choppy hair. All the while I feel my breathing catch in my throat at his touch, my chest tightening as my heartbeat quickens and I worry I may just pass out. "I'm just saying that you really drive me up the wall. But I think that's just what I like about you."

I open my mouth to produce some sort of witty remark, but no words come out. Instead I choke on a breath, struggling to breathe as my heart beats so fast and hard that I fear he may hear it and realise just how nervous I am. Then I embarrass myself even further as I drop my gaze from his bright eyes down to his lips just to confirm that he really said what he just said. They are perfectly shaped with a pale colour yet look as soft as rose petals. With him so close and my attention so intently on his lips, I wonder if he is going to kiss me, if I _want _him to kiss me. I don't even know. I can't make sense of the tornado brewing in my mind, obliterating any coherent thoughts or common sense left in me. No wonder I can't even speak with my thoughts in chaos.

"You annoy the hell out of me," I watch every movement of his lips as he speaks again; proving that he really is saying these words to me and it's not just a trick of my overactive imagination. "But I really like everything about you, even the things I usually hate. I just really like _you_, Darcy."

And then, noticing my gaze lingering awkwardly on his lips, he closes the gap between us and presses his lips to mine. And the kiss is wonderfully different. Potter's kisses were messy, a hasty dance of tongues and writhing bodies. But this, this is so soft yet more passionate than any kiss I have ever had before with the smoothness of his lips drawing me in, making me crave more of him. And before I know it, I give into my instincts and lose myself within his captivating kiss.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_Author's Note: _Buh. I'm sick now. xD This does not help writing. But oh well, I must write more! I must power on. On another note, YAY this chapter is longer than the last. ^^ So it sort of feels like I've made up for finishing chapter sixteen early. Hooray! I'm hoping to get the next chapter out soon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seventeen<em>

I haven't spoken to Emmett since our kiss; it has been several days since it happened. My initial reaction was even worse than my delayed one of ignoring him. Immediately after the kiss–which was absolutely perfect–I fled the room, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me back to my dorm and locked myself in. I didn't want any contact with the outside world, I didn't want to talk or even think about what had just happened. I just wanted to hide and so for the last few days, that's what I have been doing, hiding.

I've stopped myself from being alone with Emmett since that moment, always keeping Manny near or hiding out in my dormitory. I even tried hiding out in the common room a few times but the Potters' and Weasleys' constant interruptions were pretty infuriating. Manny has noticed my strange behaviour–much like I did with her over Cassair–and won't stop quizzing me about it. I wonder if I may have to start avoiding her too now as my lies about why I am acting so strange are starting to run low. There's no way I'm telling her the truth about what happened, I don't even know the truth about what happened, why I let it happen and more importantly, why I enjoyed it so much.

After the mess my relationship with Potter created, I'm not sure I want to try trusting another person again, to try forming another relationship again. I knew Potter for years and thought he was a catch, but as soon as we started dating he became a complete arse so how do I know that won't happen with Emmett. I don't want to risk that, I don't want to think badly of him, I don't want to hate him like I do Potter. I want to always think of him like I do now, think of him as a brilliant captivating man and an _amazing _kisser.

"I really am unstable; why else would I do this to myself?" I grunt into my food as I sit in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table for the first time in months. I am once again surrounded by younger students, but they thankfully ignore me as I scold myself. "Maybe I'm just hormonal or really stupid."

I glance over to the Ravenclaw table, but I know I won't see any familiar faces there. Emmett and Manny are where I should also be; done in Hogsmeade greeting Jude as he returns from his Christmas holiday. Right now they will be joking like the perfect trio of friends they were before I turned up. Maybe they will wonder why I'm not there, maybe Emmett will tell them he knows why, maybe he will tell them what happened. But I know he won't as I–in my infamous stupidity–actually trust him.

I almost want to slam my head down onto the table in front of me, to bash the memories of what happened between Emmett and I right out of my mind. My plate is almost bare of any food, my appetite practically gone for the last few days. Maybe it's because I'm stressed out over dealing with what happened or maybe I'm feeling guilty over not talking to Emmett since. Or even worse, maybe I'm regretting not staying and talking to him that day, not trying to figure out the truth about how I feel about him, not taking a risk and possibly ending up truly happy for once.

I sigh, dropping my knife and fork onto my plate before burying my face in my hands, wishing all of this would just go away. Maybe I should invest in an expedition for a genie to fix all of this for me. I roll my eyes at my fantasy over finding a genie, it seems Emmett was right, I _am _a psychopath. I hate how I have been behaving even more than before as I find myself smiling at the mere thought of Emmett and his comments over my mental wellbeing.

"I never thought I'd see the day _you _can't finish a meal."

My ears perk up as a teasing voice chimes from behind me. I spin around as fast as I can eagerly, nearly tossing myself right off of my seat at the idea of Emmett come to confront me over my immaturity. But instead of finding him behind me, there is an entirely different–but still equally brilliant–surprise standing there with a smirk on his lips and his eyebrows arched high. Jude stands tall, towering over me and dressed in his impeccable uniform. His arms are folded tightly over his well-toned chest as his dazzling grey eyes are staring down at me with an amused look and his loose charcoal black curls frame his smug expression.

I jump up after finally registering who he is and the fact that he is finally back on campus. Before I can decide what an appropriate greeting is after so long apart, he tugs me into a hug with a goofy grin now replacing his trademark smirk. The hug is different from Emmett's; it is friendly without any hidden meaning. It is blunt and straightforward, just like Jude.

"Welcome back!" I beam once I pull away from him, a small smile pulling across my lips. "How was your break?"

"It was alright, the usual. Calm and quiet at my mum's, loud and extravagant at my dad's," he replies casually, either not bothered by what happened over his Christmas break or not interested in talking about it. "But that's not the important question."

"What is?" I stumble over my question in confusion, fearing that maybe I was wrong, maybe Emmett _did _tell them on the way back to campus; maybe I was about to interrogated just as I had done to Manny over Cassair.

"Why you weren't at Hogsmeade station waiting for me with the others?" He exclaims in a matter-of-fact tone as I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Well I was late to the meet up–" I begin, but Jude's voice interrupts me immediately.

"So you could've come down after them and, worse comes to worst, met us on the way."

"I also think I may be getting ill," I lie quickly, seeing that he isn't going accept such a vague excuse. "As you said, it's rare for me not to eat and I haven't really been eating lately. I've just been feeling really rundown lately."

"You must be going into Jude withdrawal, most women experience it when deprived of my sexiness," he jokes whilst striking a pose, having noticed my discomfort over his questioning. "You're lucky I'm back, who knows much longer you would've lasted without me."

"Oh yes, I am terribly lucky, aren't I?" I tease sarcastically.

"Well, to make sure you don't suffer any more, why don't you join us for dinner?" He suggests, pointing at the Ravenclaw table where Emmett and Manny are now sitting. "Who knows, maybe you'll get your appetite back tonight if you spend enough time with me."

"I... I..." I stare across the hall, unable to take my eyes off of Emmett as I struggle to decide what to do. Do I act normal and go over there or do I arouse even more suspicion and flee? "I'm just not very hungry."

I guess fleeing is my choice, the coward's choice.

"What's going on?" He asks, eyeing me suspiciously. "Are you dying?"

"I'm fine," I lie through my teeth once again. "I've just had a long day filled with a lot of run-ins with Potter, which coupled with feeling ill means I really just want to go to bed. I'm sorry."

"That's okay, just focus on getting better." He says as he slings an arm over my shoulders, squeezing me with a small smile.

"Thanks Jude and it's great that you're finally back," I half-smile up at him. "Tell the others I'm sorry and I'm just a bit rundown."

"It's great to be back, I knew you guys would miss me."

He is right, we did miss him and I can't help but wonder if all the craziness of the Christmas break could have been avoided if he was here. Could Cassair and Manny have been avoided if Jude was properly here for her when she was distressed over Emmett? Could Emmett and I–whatever we are–have been avoided if Jude was here to mediate between us? It seems Jude was really missed, but now that he's back, I have a horrible feeling that things are going to get a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

><p>The next day is free from any classes, leaving me with no idea what to do or where to go. I don't want to venture out of my dormitory or the Gryffindor common room for obvious reasons, but unfortunately the Potters and Weasleys don't either. Roxanne and Rose are sprawled across my dorm, chatting away with several other Gryffindor girls from other rooms and years. The rest of the two families are dotted about the common room, claiming it as their own and sneering at me–under James' command–when I pass through.<p>

"Off to see your new boyfriend?" One of them snarls, the culprit most likely James as he smirks at me smugly.

"He is _not _my boyfriend," I hiss glaring at every one of them murderously. "Not anything of the sort."

"Finally wised up and got out when he still could then?"

This time I know it's James who is taunting me as I storm out, but I don't even have the energy to fight back. Too much is going on and there's no room for an unimportant and incredibly annoying person like James Potter in my mind. After much deliberation over where I should hide myself, I opt to head for the library as hopefully I may get some work done whilst avoiding my Ravenclaw friends, two birds with one stone as some say.

I reach the library in a few minutes, relieved to find the room almost empty apart from a few students eagerly studying in preparation for classes starting up again tomorrow. I ignore the glare I receive from the librarian no doubt for my shouting several weeks ago over my discovery of Manny's relationship with Cassair. After a quick browse, I snatch up a book and find myself a desk towards the far end of the room, out of the librarian's scrutinising stare. I prop my elbow up onto the tabletop before resting my jaw on my curled up fist as I peel open the book to read over it intently.

I suppose it's good that I've come here; I _do _have final exams to study for. That is if I can get any studying done with all the chaos brewing in my thoughts, all the stress of what happened and dealing with the fallout of it. I sigh into my reading. I really hate drama and it seems my final year of Hogwarts is stuffed full of it. It's both depressing and infuriating.

"Now I'm really worried there's something wrong with you," Jude's familiar voice muses from behind me. "Since when do you voluntarily study in your free time?"

"Since this is our final year and we have final exams to study for." I state as he slips around to my side, staring down at me in disbelief.

"We don't have final exams for months and you usually study with Manny anyway," he corrects, pressing his lips into a frown and arching his eyebrows at me. "So why are you avoiding us? Or is it just me? Or is it just them?"

"I'm not avoiding anyone," all I seem to be doing these last few days is lying. I'm not sure if I'm impressed by the degree to which I can lie and keep track of my lies or disappointed in myself for refusing to tell the truth. "I told you yesterday I just haven't been very well recently."

"Well I don't think you're the kind of person who just mopes around when you're ill so why are you avoiding everyone?" He grabs a chair nearby, dragging it to my desk and sitting beside me.

He stares me dead in the eye, his expression hard and firm making it clear to me that he isn't leaving until he gets his answers. I simply press my lips together and glare stubbornly back, refusing to give up any of my secrets no matter how long he stares at me for. We glare at one another for a few moments longer; neither of us relenting until Jude finally rolls his eyes and breaks the trance we are in. He leans back, folding his arms over his torso before looking back at me knowingly.

"You know I had an interesting chat with Emmett back in our dorm," he begins casually, glancing at me every so often as he speaks. "He said a lot happened whilst I was gone, a lot of things changed, a lot of behaviour changed. Do you agree?"

I want a hole in the floor to form and swallow me up or for me to drop dead, anything that will put me out of my misery as I stare at Jude in horror. Did Emmett tell him about what has been going on? Does he know? Does everyone know? At the thought of others knowing, I immediately regret not talking to Emmett about this right after it happened, not trying to sort through my feelings and problems. I've done some stupid things in my young life, but this has to be one of the worst.

"Sure," I reply with a shrug after a pause, turning back to my book in an attempt to brush off his curiosity. "Manny has been acting strange lately."

"Yes, Emmett said she has been going off on her own a lot, making up pretty thin excuses as to why she has to leave. It's almost like she is avoiding hanging out with him or you," Jude leans towards me, lowering his voice as he smirks widely. "Does that sound familiar?"

"I'm not making up excuses _or _avoiding anyone." I snap.

"Well I went to ask Manny about her strange behaviour and it turns out she noticed the same thing I did, that _you _happen to be acting just as strange. She said you went from spending lots of time with her and a surprisingly large amount of time with Emmett to shutting yourself up in your dorm," his smirk grows even wider as if he is practically giddy over what he has discovered. "In fact she said this strange behaviour started after you had detention with your newfound friend, Emmett."

"And? What's your point?" I know he knows, but I don't dare to admit to it, clinging onto the last shred of hope that what happened is still a secret.

"We both noticed Emmett has been acting weird too, he has been on edge and short with everyone according to Manny. It's almost like there's something on his mind."

"Get to the point faster, I'm trying to study." I grunt, wanting this conversation to end as soon as possible.

"It took a lot of badgering on my part to get the truth out of Emmett. Manny tried everything but he wouldn't tell her. Luckily I can bother him at night and stopping someone from getting any sleep can be pretty persuasive," I take some sort of comfort in the fact that Manny doesn't know about what happened yet. "He's pretty upset over what happened. Maybe angry is a better word or maybe hurt."

"Nothing happened."

"Don't try that, I know what happened," he says with a laugh, brushing off any protest I have ready. "I know Emmett kissed you and I know he likes you. He's my best friend after all."

I glance up at Jude for a moment, deliberating over how I should react, whether or not I should admit to it or just keep lying. I know lying is the easier option, but I decide to be the grownup–for once–and admit the truth. I take a deep breath to prepare myself before letting out a groan.

"Why did he tell you?" I collapse my head back into my hands in distress, but continue talking anyway. "It was supposed to be a secret."

"Did you tell him to keep it a secret?" Jude challenges.

"No," I groan again at my own stupidity. "But I just assumed it would be. I mean you two are guys; you're not supposed to talk about feelings and relationships. You're meant to talk about breasts and sports and manly things like cooking outdoors."

"That's quite a stereotype." He laughs.

"It's still true." I mutter.

"Well if it helps, the conversation did start with us comparing the breasts of women we know and him complimenting yours." He jokes as I shove him with a roll of my eyes.

"Very funny," I mumble. "You and Emmett are morons."

"Perhaps," he grins as his voice becomes teasing. "But you _like _one of those morons, don't you?"

"No I do not." I hiss although even I don't believe what I have just said.

"Yes you do." He challenges immaturely.

"Don't tell me how I feel."

"I'll tell you whatever I want."

"How is it that I actually managed to miss you?" I growl.

Jude and I once again stare hard at one another in a challenge of determination. But it's clear to me that he isn't backing down this time as a serious frown tugs across his lips and his ashen eyes narrow at me darkly. It seems when it comes to the relationships of his friends, he doesn't mess around much.

"Fine," I sigh eventually, conceding defeat. "We did kiss and I have enjoyed hanging out with him recently, but that doesn't mean I have any romantic feelings for him."

"Are you really that stupid? You clearly do." Jude retorts.

"You haven't even been here the last few weeks, how can you be so sure?" I challenge with a frown. "And if you call me stupid again, I'll beat you to death."

"You two have spent months dancing around each other, arguing all the time," he explains. "That pretty much tells the world that you two have a shit load of sexual tension going on."

"No it doesn't, it tells the world that we hated each other."

"Hated each other because of all that sexual tension," he smirks. "Honestly, I knew this would happen. I know everything; I'm like a sex psychic."

"I think you might've hit your head pretty hard over the break, you imbecile." I snarl but he simply waves me off.

"Why are you denying this so much? There's nothing wrong with Emmett, he's a nice guy even if he needs to loosen up a bit and he's a pretty handsome guy."

"Then you date him." I hiss, but Jude just ignores me and continues.

"I mean what's your problem with him?" His tone becomes serious as he glares at me warningly. "He has been my best friend since first year. It's not right to lead him on if you really don't like him."

"Okay, you don't need to lay on the guilt trip so thick," I sigh, closing my book before turning to face Jude fully, preparing myself to release all the crazed thoughts bounding around my head. "It's not that I'm leading him on or anything, I just don't know if I like him."

"How can you not know?" He is absolutely baffled by my feelings and I almost regret saying them. But I figure I have already started so I might as well finish. "Don't you trust him?"

"I do trust Emmett," I realise that's the truth, even though Emmett told Jude about the kiss, he kept what I confided in him about completely secret. He even took the blame for my strange behaviour, saying it has all been because of the kiss instead of part of it being because of my breakdown. "But this is all because of James Potter."

"Do you _still _have feelings for him?" He stares at me incredulously, clearly thinking I have lost my mind.

"No, not at all," I snap, almost insulted by that suggestion. "But I knew him for several years; I spent a lot of time with him and his family. I thought I knew him really well when I started liking him and then when we started dating. I thought he was amazing. Then I found a whole new side to him, a side he only let out around his Quidditch buddies or Cassair Finnigan,"

"I really enjoy being around Emmett, I honestly do, and I don't want him to end up like Potter. I guess I just don't want me to end up hating him or thinking he is an arse," I admit, wondering if any of this actually makes sense to Jude or if I just sound like an idiot who has been over thinking everything. "So I don't know if I like him, I don't even know if I actually know him. I just don't want to deal with all of this again, I don't want him to become like Potter. And I don't want to lose you and Manny either."

Jude takes a moment to process what I have said, his features drawn into an expression of concentration. Then, after deciding his course of action, he claps a hand across my back with a grin stretching across his face.

"You really are over thinking things," he laughs before quickly correcting himself. "But nothing you've said sounds stupid before you think that's what I mean. It's just that you're not going to lose Manny or me as friends and Emmett doesn't hide any part of him. He didn't even try to hide the part of him that hated you at first and didn't want you on his Quidditch team."

"You know reminding me about that part of him doesn't make me like him a whole lot more." I mumble but this just makes Jude laugh even more.

"Actually I think it does. I think you _really _like Emmett; why else would you be over thinking things so much?" His laughter softens as he smiles genuinely at me. "You're so paranoid about all of this because you really like him. You just need to stop being terrified of actually being happy and go find him and tell him."

"But then I have to be all vulnerable and crap," I whine before sighing. "I know you're right though. Since when are you the voice of reason? You're meant to be as clueless and insensitive as I am."

"Since I did something just as stupid as what you did and let Manny go way back when," his voice becomes serious, his torso slumping forward. "And now I care about her more than ever. So I decided it'd be best to stop you from ending up in a situation just as crappy as mine."

"I thought misery loved company."

"Hey, you still have to keep me company; you just don't have to be as miserable as I am," he perks up moments later, his coy smirk returning to his brightening features. "Besides this year I'm going to fix everything with Manny, starting with that gift I got her for Christmas."

A pit forms in my stomach at his words. He wants to mend things with Manny, to get back to where they used to be. But she is already somewhere else, she already has someone else. And I can't even tell him, I promised not to tell anyone.

"How?" I ask half-heartedly, making a mental note to find Manny later and push her to tell the truth about her relationship with Cassair.

"Well I put a lot of thought into her gift; it's something she has always wanted so it shows her just how much she means to me. And now that Emmett has feelings for you, she'll get passed her feelings for him," I wish he knew that she already has gotten passed them. "Meanwhile I'll just make sure I'm there for her, making her as happy as can be. And when she's ready, I'll tell her just how much she means to me."

"I think you should talk to Manny now," I say, unable to handle what he's saying. "You need to make sure she's on the same page as you."

"Okay," he replies unsurely before sticking his hand out in front of me. "I'll make you a deal; I'll go talk to Manny right now if you go talk to Emmett. We'll get all the truth out in the open."

I glance at him for a moment, trying to decide if I should agree with his terms before nodding my head and shaking his hand firmly.

"Deal."


	18. Chapter Eighteen

_Author's Note: _Holy crap, only two or three chapters left including this one. I kind of don't want to end this story. D; I REFUSE TO LET DARCY AND MY GOLDEN SEEKER GO! *sobs* On the plus side, YAY JUDE IS BACK! XD I hated making him leave. He's always so fun. ^^

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eighteen<em>

Jude and I leave the library just as dinner is about to begin, both of us marching towards the Great Hall as fast as our legs can carry us. Thankfully we get there before most of the students arrive–including Manny and Emmett–and wait either side of the entrance, waiting for our respective partners to arrive. We know they will be here in a matter of minutes, there's no way we can back out of talking to them, there's no excuse. I feel my stomach twist into knots; butterflies fluttering within me, making me feel like I may just be sick or pass out. This feeling seems to come every time I see–and now it seems think about–Emmett and I'm still not used to it, it makes me as dizzy and confused as ever.

"Darcy!" Jude hisses at me over the heads of a few students, pointing through the crowd at the towering figure of Emmett Boot.

I glance from Jude to Emmett as if mentally flipping a coin over whether or not to actually go over, but when Jude flashes me a thumbs up and a wide grin, I give in and leave my resting place. I weave through the bodies of younger students, keeping my eyes fixed on that head of dark wispy locks and those crystal blue eyes. He doesn't notice me at first, not that he'd expect me to be looking for him after avoiding him for so many days. But when he catches sight of me, his eyes narrow and his lips tug into a frown, he clearly isn't expecting a fun conversation to come.

I almost stop dead in my tracks and consider fleeing the scene until I notice Manny standing beside him, her eyes sparkling with a smile on her lips. Seeing her reminds me of my promise to Jude, of the fact that I have to keep my end of the bargain in order for him to find out the truth about Manny. I have to do this even if Emmett is looking irritated with me already.

"Hey," I speak up as I push through the last few bodies separating me from the Ravenclaw duo. "How are you guys?"

"Great," Manny beams giddily which means she has most likely spent the day in Cassair's company. Emmett, on the other hand, simply grunts in response. "Where have you been recently?"

"I've just been a bit ill," I say with an awkward laugh. "Sorry about that, just feeling like crap coupled with the stress of seventh year put a lot on my plate."

"Are you okay now?" Manny's smile drops, her expression becoming one of worry. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"No, I'll be alright now, don't worry," I say quickly, eager to wave away any of Manny's worries over my lies. "Um... Is it alright if I talk to Emmett for a minute?"

"About what?" She arches her eyebrows at me curiously.

"Quidditch," I reply before realising she would have to be included on any Quidditch conversation. "Just Seeker stuff for when the season starts up again."

"Can't it wait until after dinner?" She begs. "We haven't hung out in a while. You can even eat dinner with us as usual and start your conversation then."

"We'll just be a second, Manny. So why don't you go in ahead and we'll meet you in there?" Emmett pipes up as I struggle to find an excuse to be alone with him. "After all there's not all too much I have to say."

"Okay..." She mumbles in confusion, glancing from Emmett to me before bidding us farewell. "I'll go find Ju-Ju in the hall. See you two in a minute."

I watch her walk away before Jude pounces, flagging her down to start their own private conversation. I almost want to stay here, to be here for Jude in case what she has to say hurts him, but I have to keep my promise. I have to talk to Emmett. Then we can both be there for Jude and Manny. I tear my gaze away from the two and when I look back at Emmett; his expression is just as firm as before.

"We should get out of the way." I mumble as several students push passed us.

He nods and steps into the hallway with me dragging behind, hugging my waist tightly in a futile attempt to comfort myself. Unfortunately my own arms don't quite comfort me to the degree that his do. He leans against one of the stone walls, folding his arms over his chest before glancing passed me in utter disinterest. I can't help but be hurt by his behaviour; no matter how much I deserve it.

"Well, what have you got to say that's so important after avoiding me for several days?" He hisses, his deep and sour voice stinging me deeply.

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. For some reason I can't put what I have to say into words, every sentence that comes to mind just sounds stupid and insensitive. I want what I have to say to be just right, I don't want to make him any angrier. As a stiff silence begins settling, I opt to take a different route and ease into what's going on in my mind.

"How have you been?" My voice is shaky; all its usual strength has evaporated now that we are alone.

"Bloody great, rejection sure is a blast." His sarcastic growl is like a punch to the ribs, his words making my heart sink and my ribcage constrict. I feel like I'm about to hyperventilate.

"Sorry." I squeak but my quiet apology doesn't make up for anything, in fact I fear it may just annoy him even more.

"Is that all you dragged me over to say?" He snaps with a glare. "If so, then save it, I'm not interested in an apology."

Emmett stands up straight; tearing his eyes away from me before moving to push passed me. Desperate not to let him go, I quickly pounce in his path even though his towering strong figure can easily get passed my diminutive stature. But instead of pushing forcefully through me, he just rolls his eyes and settles back against the wall.

"Get out of my way." He booms, his powerful voice nearly making me leap out of his way until I assure myself that I need to do this.

"No," I refuse, grabbing his large hands with my tiny ones to keep him from moving me out of his path. "I want to talk to you. Actually talk to you about _everything_."

He raises his eyebrows, watching me sceptically. He almost pulls his hands out of mine until I squeeze them gently, hoping in some way it will reassure him that I do want to talk. He soon gives in.

"Fine, but don't waste my time." He says impatiently.

"It'd really help if you didn't speak to me like that," I snap, irked by his attitude. "I'm still a human being and deserve respect."

"It would've been really helpful if you hadn't run off after I kissed you," he challenges. "I'm still a human being and deserve respect as well."

"I know," I sigh, deciding that even though I want to fight for him to stop snapping at me, I need to put talking to him first. "And I know it was wrong to run away and I deserve to be treated like this by you."

"Glad you understand."

"Look, I said_ I _want to talk and that means you keep your snarky comments to yourself until I'm finished," I scold, just wanting to get everything out in the open and then take all his verbal abuse. "So I'm going to talk and you're going to listen, then when I'm done you can insult me all you want."

When he doesn't speak, I take his silence as an agreement with my terms. I take a deep breath, somewhat organising my thoughts before beginning.

"I spoke to Jude earlier and he helped me figure things out. I guess the place to start is the fact that you drive me up the wall as well. But I also really like you too," I explain, not even caring that my cheeks start burning red because of just how much I am embarrassing myself. "But the reason I ran off and have been running away from you since is because of Potter. Not because I still have feelings for him, but because of what he became after we started dating,"

"I had known him for years when we started dating and I thought I knew him really well. But I found this whole other arsehole side to him which he had kept hidden from me until then. Now I hate him and the people I used to consider my friends, I hate them all just because of my relationship with him. If my relationship hadn't happened, we'd all still be friends," I sigh. "When you told me what you told me, I ran because I didn't want to turn you into what Potter is now. I never want to hate you; I never want to regret caring about you and spending time with you."

"There's no hidden side to me and you're overestimating your ability to influence others, you just make me a bit immature, you don't turn me into a complete arsehole." Emmett says with a half-smile which I return.

"I know that now, Jude said the exact same thing. He also made me realise that I'm only over thinking all of this because I _really _like you and you make me really happy. Who knew Jude could actually be sensible?"

"It's pretty shocking," Emmett now grins fully, pulling me into a hug that makes all the tension and nerves in my body dissolve. "Almost as shocking as the fact that Darcy Simmons actually has feelings and has a side of her that freaks out over boys."

"Not _boys_, one boy, one very annoying boy who I'm just using to secure my position on the Quidditch team." I tease.

"No point in lying now, you've already told me just how much you like me," he taunts back with a smirk on his lips. "And you can't take it back now."

"Hey, I didn't make fun of you when you told me first."

"You were too busy fleeing to make fun of me," he corrects, his grin doubling as he notices my frown and sour glare. "I suddenly understand why you hold me refusing to put you on the Quidditch time over my head so much, this is a lot of fun."

"Well then every time you bring up my fleeing, I'll bring up your refusing to put me on the team." I challenge.

"I get at least a few free shots about the fleeing, you've had the team thing over my head for a while now," he corrects. "I mean that's only fair."

"You should know now before we even consider a relationship that things will _never _be fair with me." I taunt with a borderline evil smirk.

"I haven't said whether I forgive you for what you did or not yet." He reminds me, wiping the smirk off of my face immediately.

"Well, d-d-do you forgive me?" I stutter, mentally cursing myself for not being able to keep my cool at the idea that even with my explanation he may not forgive me for being such an ice cold bitch.

"I'll forgive you _if _you forgive me for not putting you on the team at first. Do we have a deal?"

"I seem to be making a lot of deals lately so maybe I should stop," I muse before grinning. "But I guess one last deal wouldn't hurt."

* * *

><p>After a few moments of just absorbing the feel of Emmett's embrace, the two of us break apart and head towards the Great Hall. But as we near the entrance, I find Manny standing where Jude once was, her head bowed in shame. I take hold of Emmett's hand and guide him over to our small friend. As we near her, sniffling can be heard and I can't help but feel disappointed. It doesn't take a genius to realise that her talk with Jude didn't go well.<p>

"Manny, are you alright?" I speak up when I reach her side whilst softly patting her back in an awkward attempt to comfort her.

"What?" She blurts, glancing up at us before quickly shaking her miserable expression from her face and replacing it with a faux smile. "Yeah, of course, I'm fine."

"I know Jude came over to talk to you," I admit gently. "So you don't need to pretend everything's okay."

"Jude came to talk to her about what?" Emmett asks in confusion but I quickly shush him.

"I'll tell you later," I hiss before glancing back at Manny with a reassuring expression. "But seriously Manny, you can talk to me."

"I told Jude about Cassair," she squeaks after gathering her composure. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I was afraid she had said to Jude. "He just stormed into the hall without a second word when I told him."

"What about Finnigan?" Emmett pipes up, still utterly confused by our conversation but I try to silence him.

"It's not important–"

"It's okay, I've told Jude so you're going to find out anyway," Manny takes a deep breath, preparing herself for her friend's reaction. "For the last few weeks, I've been seeing Cassair Finnigan."

"Seeing as in dating him?" He gawks in disbelief.

"Yes." She mutters.

"Well no wonder Jude walked off."

"Emmett," I hiss with a warning glare. "Manny's upset about Jude being angry; can you not get mad at her as well?"

"Why aren't you joining me in the rage? In fact why aren't you threatening to murder Finnigan?" I am left speechless by his questions, looking at Manny with wide eyes as I'm not sure if I should tell Emmett I already knew. I'm pretty sure it'd just annoy him and Jude more to know she kept it a secret from them for a while, but not from me.

"It doesn't matter how she is reacting," Manny states, shifting the spotlight back onto her. "What is important is Jude is now really angry and I don't think me going in to find him is going to help. So will you guys go sit with him and check he is okay?"

"What about you?" I enquire, not wanting to leave her whilst she is so upset.

"I'll just wait inside for a bit. If he wants me to sit with you guys after you talk to him for a bit, I will," she explains rationally despite the fact that she is clearly very upset. "If he doesn't, then I'll just sit with some of the girls from my other classes. I don't want you guys to come sit with me instead of him when he needs someone to talk to right now."

"I can understand why." Emmett grumbles until I elbow him in the guts in an attempt to silence his grumbling.

"You need to shut up," I growl before giving Manny a small smile. "I'll come find you after we talk to Jude for a few minutes to let you know what you should do."

"Thanks Darce." She replies, matching my small smile before entering the Great Hall alongside us.

We leave her just to the side of the entrance once we spot Jude sitting by himself at the Ravenclaw table. He is hunched over, picking at his food with his back to us, but I don't need to see him to know there is a frown pulling across his face. Anger practically radiates off of him and I'm surprised he didn't try to find Cassair to beat the living daylights out of him when he found out. I follow Emmett towards the table, the two of us taking the seats across from him in order to glance at Manny to beckon her over should Jude want to talk to her.

"I see your talk with Emmett went well," Jude mumbles into his food, glancing up at the two of us and our close bodies for a moment. "I'm happy for you."

"We made a deal that I'd talk to you if he spoke to Manny," I explain to Emmett when he shoots me a confused look at our friend's words. "And I guess from your crap mood, your chat didn't go very well."

"Nope, it went pretty much the worst way it could have gone," he groans. "Maybe I'm being punished for what I did to her way back when."

"It's not about punishing," Emmett speaks up with a shake of his head. "She isn't still upset about what happened. She forgave you a long time ago."

"Then why is she dating that bastard?"

"That's a question I'd like answered," Emmett adds, glancing at me expectantly. "And I think you can shed some light on the matter, Darcy."

"Why would you think that?" Jude asks in confusion as I want to punch Emmett in the face for putting me on the spot. Just because I like him and am now dating him doesn't mean I won't beat him for acting like a git.

"Because I've kind of known about her dating Cassair for a little bit," I admit, preparing myself for Jude's eruption of anger over me. "I caught her hanging out with him in the library."

Jude pauses for a moment, absorbing the information. I can feel tension building up inside of me as I wait for him to speak–or rather yell–at me. Finally he responds, but what he says surprises me.

"I can't believe you found out and he's still alive," he smiles weakly. "I thought you would've skinned him alive."

"Not quite, but I did punch him in the face," I chuckle lightly. "He had a bruise for ages."

"That was you?" Emmett asks with a wide, smug grin. "I saw his nose covered in plaster; I assumed the moron had gotten punched for his philandering ways."

"At least I can take comfort in the fact that he got punished in some way, shape or form." Jude says with a shrug.

"I know you're upset and probably want to murder Cassair, I mean that's what I wanted to do. But are you sure you want to punish Manny over this?" I ask gently, trying to watch what I say and avoid making things worse.

"I'm not trying to punish her; I know I have no right to. But this is just so fucking stupid of her." He groans.

"If you're not trying to punish her, then why are you acting so at her instead of Cassair?" I glance passed him at where Manny stands. "She thinks you're too angry with her for her to even sit with you. She sent us over here to check if you want her to be near you at all."

"That's ridiculous. I'm not Potter; I'm not going to keep her from her friends or refuse to be around her."

"Then you need to tell her that," I exclaim, pointing over his shoulder to where Manny stands by herself, watching us through the corner of her eye. "Even if you think she's being ridiculous by standing over there."

Jude glances over his shoulder at her before looking back at me. He stays where he is stubbornly for a few minutes before groaning and climbing to his feet. He smoothes out his uniform before reluctantly heading over to where Manny stands, albeit slowly as if he is giving himself the opportunity to bolt out of the room should he change his mind.

"I wasn't aware you had a sensible or sensitive side in you." Emmett states as he snatches a potato from my plate.

"It's one of the many voices in my head," I explain before stealing my food back. "And never take my food or I'll be forced to eat you."

"I'm a growing man; I need more sustenance than you do." He challenges, snatching more food from my plate.

"Can't you just dish yourself up more food instead of taking my portions?" I mutter, slapping his knife and fork wielding hands away from my plate.

"Nope, stealing is an important life skill and I need to practice it with someone who won't arrest me."

Before I can fight back any longer, Jude catches my eye as he stops in his tracks towards Manny, his hands curled into fists. I look passed him and nearly choke on my own breath when I see what he has just seen. Cassair has slipped towards Manny, a charming smirk on his lips as he greets her, most likely inviting her to eat at his table.

"Oh bollocks," I grumble, directing Emmett's attention towards what is probably about to become a murder scene. "Things have just gotten a lot worse. At least Cassair's last words will be one of his cheesy pickup lines, which on the plus side will die with him."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

_Author's Note: _Penultimate chapter. Wow. I can't believe it. D: I love the last few lines; they just sum up Jude's attitude to everything perfectly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nineteen<em>

"Are we going to go after him to make sure he doesn't go overboard?" Emmett asks as we watch Jude boil over with anger at the sight of Cassair and Manny together.

"We probably should," I say with a shrug, swallowing a mouthful of my meal before climbing to my feet, signalling for Emmett to do the same. "Plus we don't want to miss any of the damage Jude might do."

Once Emmett drags himself to his feet, we start after Jude just as he has started walking towards Manny again except now his stride is forceful and determined. He is clearly out for blood and part of me is terribly excited to see it whilst the other part doesn't want to see Manny terrified of a fight breaking out between another one of her best friends and her boyfriend. Once we quicken our pace, we arrive at Jude's side by the time he reaches Manny with his eyes narrowed into a murderous glare.

"Hello Manny," Jude speaks up in a false tone of sincerity. "And hello to you, walking talking sexually transmitted disease."

"Jude," Manny blurts, bewildered by his sudden appearance as well as us now standing beside him. "Cass, maybe you should go. We can talk later, right now I need to sort things out with my friends."

"Oh dear, have I made your flirting awkward? I out of this whole hall filled with other onlookers?" Jude snarls.

"C'mon, Manny, come sit with me for dinner," Cassair then turns to us, his soft tone becoming malicious. "You'll get the chance to have some good company to eat with for once."

"Your friends are good company?" Jude barks out a cruel laugh. "Let's see we have the arsehole that gets his kicks out of being a sexist prick and making one of my best friend's miserable, there's his friend who is somewhat intelligent but so weak-willed that he will do whatever Potter says then there's the rest of the Weasley and Potter clans. Well, I don't need to explain what's wrong with them seeing as they practically worship the ground James walks on."

"What about your friends? A Quidditch captain who–" Cassair begins but Manny immediately interrupts.

"Cass! Stop it! Those are my friends too!" She scolds, clearly aggravated that he has crossed a line. "Just don't. Don't say things like that about them."

"Then come to dinner with me." He suggests, surprisingly not continuing his insults of us.

I'm slightly disappointed as I'm fairly sure Jude would have decked him if he had continued his insults, but then again respecting Manny's wishes is pretty refreshing. I can see why she thinks he honestly cares about her; he usually refuses to give up any fight. Jude, however, only finds his concern for Manny's feelings infuriating.

"If she spends any more time with you, she'll risk diseases of all sorts," he snaps. "You should really come with a health warning."

"Jude, please don't," Manny begs as her eyes fill with worry. "I just want you guys to get along; you're one of my best friends and he–"

"–is a lying prat who jumps to a new girl every other week." Emmett finishes for her, stepping forward to back up Jude as I roll my eyes.

"You shouldn't get involved." I mumble with a shake of my head.

"You were right, love," Cassiar hums down to Manny, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I should get going. Come find me when you're done with the riffraff."

He plants a deep kiss on her lips, grabbing her waist hungrily just to irritate the three of us even further. After he parts from her, he heads back to the Gryffindor table, shooting me a death glare over his shoulder as he leaves. I just roll my eyes at him.

"Why do you have to provoke him?" Manny's scolding distracts me from Cassair's immaturity. "I don't enjoy it when the people I care about fight, it's not fair on me or anyone else."

"You care about him?" Jude once again laughs cruelly. "Well he sure as hell doesn't care about you."

"How do you know? You haven't asked me a single thing about our relationship so you don't know anything about what we feel for each other," She snaps, clearly fed up with his behaviour. "You were too busy storming off to take an interest in whether he makes me happy or not."

"There's nothing to ask, you don't have a fucking relationship, not to him at least! I mean he's Cassair Finnigan, I don't need to know the details to know he's just using you!" He explodes with anger now, unable to control his fury over what he has just witnessed.

"He isn't using me! We've been dating for weeks since before you even left for Christmas!" She starts shouting, no longer maintaining her calm either. "In fact we even spent Christmas together and he gave me an amazing, meaningful gift to show me just how much he cares!"

"He gave you a gift to show you just how much he cares? What about me? What the hell do you think I did for you on Christmas?" Jude throws his arms in the air, his frustration taking over him. "You know what, I can't deal with this. I never knew Finnigan would rub off on you so much because right now you're acting like an insensitive bitch."

With that, Jude turns on his heel and storms out, his stride so fast that he vanishes in the blink of an eye. Manny just stands before us, her eyes wide and stunned as they start to rim with tears at what her best friend just called her. I'm not sure who I'm angrier with; Cassair for creating this whole situation, Manny who not realising who this would hurt Jude or Jude for losing his temper and making Manny cry. Actually I'm pretty sure I'm mad at Cassair, he just makes everything worse and if Manny wasn't on the verge of tears, I would've gone over to the Gryffindor table and pummelled the Irish bastard.

"I guess one of us will have to go after him." Emmett whispers to me as I nod in agreement.

"And that will be you," I correct. "I'll stay here with Manny."

"Why do I have to go after him? So he can take his frustrations over Finnigan out on me?" He mutters. "You should go, he won't try to punch you in the face. Plus girls are supposed to be better at having meaningful conversations."

"Ha! Don't even try that, Jude already admitted to me that you guys talk about serious stuff," I exclaim in triumph. "Including how much you like me and our little detention escapade. Plus if he's in the Ravenclaw common room or your dorm, I can't exactly go after him."

"Fine, I'll go," Emmett rolls his eyes. "Actually I can't handle crying girls very well so I'm happy with having a fistfight with Jude instead."

In fact I'd prefer to have a fistfight with Jude as well as I'm not exactly top-notch at dealing with girls crying either. Emmett slips an arm around me, leaving a soft longing kiss on my lips before departing after Jude. I stand there in a trance for a minute as the tingling feeling of his lips lingers on my lips. Manny's shocked expression and loud gasp is what finally breaks me from my haze, returning me to reality as I realise she just witnessed me kissing the guy I venomously denied liking.

"Oh crap, this is awkward," I say with a strained laugh. "Well surprise! Emmett and I are kind of sort of dating!"

Her eyes slowly return to their normal size as she absorbs what I've just said, her shocked expression fading into one of thought. Then after a moment of deliberation over how to react, her tears vanish from her eyes and her lips spread into a wide toothy grin.

"This is amazing!" She squeals, tackling me with a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you! Two of my best friends!"

"Thanks." I smile as she releases me from her excited embrace.

"I told you so! I knew there was a spark there!" She is practically jumping up and down with exhilaration over the revelation. "Now we can talk couples and everything!"

"Wow, I never agreed to that. What happens in a relationship with me is pretty much private. Plus you used to have a huge crush on Emmett, it's a bit weird to talk about me dating him," I explain before reluctantly returning to the more important topic at hand. "But me dating Emmett isn't important right now, we can talk about that any time, right now we need to talk about what just happened."

"Can we grab something to eat first?" She asks weakly, her grin fading.

"Of course, Jude decided to confront you guys before I got a chance to eat my dinner," I say gently. "Plus Emmett kept stealing my food."

"That's adorable." Manny replies with a smile as I guide her back to the Ravenclaw table where I was sitting moments ago.

After piling several helpings of food onto our respective plates and swallowing a few mouthfuls, we return to the topic at hand. Although Manny is reluctant to think about her friends' hatred of her boyfriend, she clearly wants to confide in me about Jude's behaviour and her relationship with Cassair.

"You know, I may not like Cassair at all," I begin for her. "But I do happen to like you a lot so you can talk to me about him all you want. I know him not getting along with your friends isn't easy for you."

"Thanks, Darcy," she sighs as she moves food about her plate with her fork, distracting herself from the issue. "I just didn't think Jude would blow up like that. I know Cassair has a reputation, but he isn't pure evil. Plus Jude is my friend, he's supposed to care about me and what makes me happy."

"He also wants what's best for you. Believe it or not, he was just trying to look out for you." I remind her.

"I know, but he just got so carried away. And what he said to me was really hurtful," she chokes on her words, pausing to gather her composure and stop herself from bursting into tears at the memory. "I would never act that way towards him if he were to date someone I don't like. I know you were angry when you found out, but you never acted that way."

"I did punch Cassair in the face though so I wasn't exactly acting rationally." I reply with a smile on my lips at the memory of my fist ploughing through the smug git's face.

"You don't have to be so pleased with the fact that you hit him." Manny reminds me with a small laugh as I quickly wipe the smile off of my lips.

"Sorry, it's sort of a force of habit."

"Am I being silly getting so upset? I mean if I had overreacted just now when I found out you and Emmett are dating and called you an insensitive bitch, would you be this upset?" She asks genuinely, rubbing the tears once again rapidly forming in her almond-shaped eyes.

"I don't know," I reply honestly, musing over the point for a moment before answering further. "I guess I would be hurt, but I'd probably be furious first and foremost. I'd probably throw some insults back at you until someone dragged me away from you then after all that anger, I'd probably be pretty upset."

"To be honest, I considered snapping something just hurtful back at Jude, but I couldn't do it. Even though I wanted to make him upset as I am, that's just not me," she sighs, slumping her shoulders forward in defeat. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me?"

"Maybe," I say unsurely before opting to tell her a story to comfort her. "You know a couple days ago when I had detention with Emmett, he told me he liked me and then kissed me. And instead of being an adult and dealing with the issue, I ran away. I literally ran right out of the detention room. That's why I've been avoiding you guys until now. I just didn't know how to deal with it,"

"But today Jude convinced me to find Emmett and speak to him about it. After I found him by the Great Hall and explained myself and my behaviour, he happily forgave me. So maybe you should go find Jude and just have a calm talk with him, get everything out in the open," I suggest. "I'm sure he'll forgive once you make him understand."

"You're right. When you found out, I chased after you was determined to make you understand and it sort of worked. I mean you're not best buds with Cass, but you're not telling me to avoid being with him all the time," she recalls before smiling at me. "Thanks for being supportive."

"Unfortunately, I noticed that the prat actually makes you really happy and as your friend, I want you to be happy," I admit, grinning back at her. "So I'll just have to settle with threatening to murder Cassair should he ever hurt you in any way."

"I'll go find Jude after dinner, get everything out in the open with him."

"Sounds good, just remember to keep calm, avoid getting really upset with him," I advise before grinning. "And if he calls you a bitch again, slap him."

* * *

><p>I barely get any sleep the night after the incident with Jude and Manny as I am far too excited for morning to come in order for me to go find Emmett and grill him for information on what happened. Who knew I'd actually be interested in the lives and dramas of my friends. Finally morning comes after many hours of lying awake and occasionally drifting into twenty minutes or so of sleep. Despite my lack of slumber–and the fact that classes start again today–I am oddly energetic as I leap out of bed and eagerly climb into my uniform.<p>

My dorm mates groan at me for interrupting their slumber, questioning my sanity for getting up so early, but I simply ignore them as I slip on my shoes and quickly run a brush through my hair. After a brief glance at myself in the mirror–as now that I have a boyfriend who happens to be mind-bogglingly attractive, I do care about how I look to some degree–I scramble out of the room. I slam the door loudly behind me and grin at the chorus of moans that erupt from within the dorm as I stroll into the common room.

I can see Potter sitting in one of the plush armchairs with Gabriel and Cassair out of the corner of my eye as I pass through the room. Cassair quickly alerts him to my presence and shoots me a glare. I just grin as I stroll by them, ignoring Potter rolling his eyes at me.

"You're cheerful this morning, Dare. Have you managed to catch another idiot up in your web of lies?" He sneers but I simply laugh him off.

"Nope, you see I have Emmett Boot as a boyfriend out of his own free will. And well, there's no one who can quite compare to him and I certainly don't want anyone else," I smirk so widely my cheeks hurt as I taunt him. "You see he is an _amazing_ kisser, far better than you ever were. You should probably get the salivary gland condition checked; I used to fear I would drown every time you got close."

"I knew the moron fell for all your bullshit," he growls. "But why don't you turn around and say the last part to my face, whore?"

"Sorry, James, I don't have time for all your crap this morning. In fact I don't think I'll ever have time for your crap again," I reply cheerfully as I head through the portrait hole. "So you'd better give up talking to me unless we're on the Quidditch pitch and even then I'll probably just ignore you."

I can hear him calling after me as I depart from the common room, desperate to provoke me into a fight and cause me some form of distress, but I am much too happy for even him to ruin my mood. I am so happy–partly due to my lack of sleep, but mostly thanks to Emmett–that I'm pretty sure whatever chemical my brain is pumping through me should be illegal. I'm absolutely hooked on this feeling. The only thing that can possible put a damper on my giddy mood is if Jude and Manny haven't worked out their issues, but I push that thought out of my head and hang on the hope that everything will be back to normal. I'm not giving up this happiness without a fight.

I make it to the Great Hall in no time to find it almost completely empty apart from the teachers as most students are still struggling to drag themselves out of bed. Before I can linger about in the hallway and impatiently wait for the arrival of my Ravenclaw friends, I notice a hand waving through the air at the far end of the room, beckoning me over. As I near the individual, I recognise Manny with a wide grin on her face that makes me even happier–which I didn't know was even physically possible. I recognise Jude and Emmett sitting across from her with their backs to me, chatting animatedly to one another.

"Ju-Ju, move over for Darce to sit next to Emmy." I practically squeal in the fashion that Manny often does as she uses the playful nicknames she has assigned each of us, suggesting all issues have been sorted out.

Jude obeys and shifts to the other side of the table, taking the seat next to Manny and leaving the one next to Emmett free for me. I climb into my allocated seat, earning myself one of Emmett's perfect kisses until Jude interrupts us with a fake gagging noise.

"Oh gross, I don't want to see _that_," he groans. "Watching my best friends kiss is like watching a dog walk on its hind legs."

"Grow up." Emmett snaps before pecking me on the forehead and slipping one of his arms around my waist, the other holding his eating utensils.

"Only if you loosen up," Jude mocks. "I was only joking, Darce knew that."

"Just because you were joking doesn't mean I don't want to punch you," I remind him with a grin. "I'm just in too much of a good mood to beat the crap out of you right now. Give me a few hours and maybe I can."

"Why are you so happy? It's scaring me." He jokes.

"Maybe she's high." Emmett suggests.

"I'm not high or drunk before anyone says that," I exclaim, punching Emmett playfully in the arm for his suggestion. "I just haven't slept very much and I'm glad to see that everything has worked out."

"Not everything has worked out," Manny corrects me, but her smile doesn't falter. "The three of us stayed up late talking about everything, although it was mostly just Ju-Ju and I talking whilst Emmy fell asleep pretty early in the conversation. And although I know you all still hate my boyfriend, I'm really glad that you're at least trying to be supportive."

"I'm not trying that hard," Jude replies with a smirk. "But if we don't have to talk about him very much, I'm sure I'll get used to the idea soon enough."

We chat for a while longer, joking around and insulting one another–apart from Manny, although instead of insulting her, Jude just flirts with her as per usual–until the room is buzzing, filled to the brim with students once again. Manny finishes off her breakfast moments later before climbing to her feet, a smile on her lips.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm just going to go say hi to Cass," she says even though she's going to go even if we _do _mind. "I'll be back in just a moment."

She scurries off to the Gryffindor table, leaving an awkward silence amongst the three of us. I glance over Jude who seems to be his perfectly normal self, not bothered by her relationship with Cassair anymore. I wonder if he is just putting on a front to make Manny more comfortable.

"Crap, now I'm a third wheel to you two." Jude groans jokingly.

"Yes you are, please leave." Emmett jokes back with a wide grin.

"Never mind, I like you around Darce, you clearly lighten up."

"It's because I'm so immature," I explain. "And I rub off on him like an infectious disease, according to him."

"I still think that's a compliment." Emmett smirks.

"And I still think you're a moron," I grin back before glancing at Jude and asking the controversial question at hand. "So Jude did you really work out most things last night whilst Emmett was snoozing?"

"Yeah I guess. We spoke for ages and Manny tried her hardest to make me understand everything." He replies with a shrug as he scoffs down his plate of food.

"And do you understand everything? Because you are acting like everything is perfectly fine now," I say suspiciously. "I mean yesterday you called her an insensitive bitch and today you're acting like everything is fine and dandy."

"Maybe he's a psychopath just like you." Emmett pipes up, earning himself a backhanded slap to the chest from me.

"Actually I am okay with everything for pretty sane reasons. You see I figure her relationship won't last, which is plus. And if she is willing to date Cassair Finnigan, a prick that has treated huge numbers of girls the same way I once treated Manny," his coy smirk grows wide as he speaks smugly. "Then there's hope for me yet. I just have to bide my time, get all that fooling around out of my system and then when she's ready, make my move."

"That sounds like a foolproof plan." Emmett replies sarcastically with a chuckle.

"Laugh all you want, but how can she resist_ this_?" He gestures to himself with a wink. "After all, I _am_ one hell of a foxy guy."


	20. Chapter Twenty

_Author's Note: _Awww crap, last chapter. D: I have been so inspired for this story as soon as I picked up again. I'm going to miss it loads, I love Darcy! xD Thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed, it's much appreciated! (:

I'm going to start working on another second generation Harry Potter fanfic soonish. It'll be about Albus Potter and well... I don't really want to give much away, but it'll be about struggling with one's sexuality, growing up and just general teenage angst. Sort of a coming of age story as well. :3 I'm quite looking forward to it, it'll be something I haven't really touched on before. Plus it'll make up for me making the Potters and Weasleys the sort of bad guys in this story. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter. ._.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Harry Potter Fanfiction<strong>_

_**MY GOLDEN SEEKER**_

**OC: Darcy Simmons/OC: Emmett Boot**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Twenty<em>

"Are you ready?" Emmett asks, his startlingly bright eyes staring deeply into my dark ones, checking for any sliver of doubt.

"Yes," I smile. "I'm ready for this. I can do this."

"Good because if you don't catch the snitch then Potter will hold it over you and, more importantly, _me_ until the end of the reason." He jokes.

"Well if you didn't hit me with a Bludger the first match then I might've caught it." I growl.

"You're still holding that over me? I can't help it if you're an easy target."

"Break it up, love birds," Jude pipes up. "Keep your focus on the game."

"Last time I checked I was the Captain and got to tell you what to do," Emmett challenges with a smirk. "Maybe you need to run a few laps around the pitch before the match starts."

"Calling rank, that's harsh," Manny adds as she slings an arm around my shoulders, grinning at me supportively. "But don't worry about Darce; she's going to do brilliantly as always."

"Or face the penalty of death at the hands of my own boyfriend if I don't."

"That's right," Emmett agrees sternly. "I'll make sure to hit several bludgers your way next practice if you don't do this."

"Hey, don't start threatening me or I'll have to kick your arse." I reply, shaking my fist at him threateningly.

"You're like five feet tall; you can barely reach my arse." He teases, ruffling a hand through my hair patronisingly.

"She could always stand on Manny's shoulders. Together they might just barely match our heights." Jude prods, earning himself death glares from Manny and I.

"You forget that Darce and I contribute to scoring points in this match," Manny warns. "So you'd better be nice or we can just throw the whole thing."

"Not quite, they can treat me like complete crap but there's no way I'm losing to Potter on purpose," I correct her with a grin at the image of winning. "It just means I'll have to beat them to death _after _the match and that's okay, I can wait. Waiting leaves time for the rage to build up."

Soon the call comes for the Quidditch teams to enter the field and we organised ourselves into our respective position with Emmett leading us, his head held high. I remember walking this very way my first Quidditch match with the Ravenclaw team, glaring from Emmett to Potter murderously; unsure of which one I hated more. Now here I am, smiling up at my Captain and not really paying any mind to Potter. In fact my desire to win isn't even about beating Potter at being a Seeker–actually, it's a little bit about beating Potter and a lot about rubbing it in his face–it's about proving to everyone that I deserve to be here. I deserve to be clutching my broom as we march onto the pitch, I deserve to be in this blue and bronze Quidditch uniform, I deserve to be a part of this team, I deserve to be the Seeker and equally as important, I deserve to be at Emmett's side.

As the Gryffindor team approaches and the referee reminds us of the rules, I can't help but think back to the first match again. It's scary how far I have come. I now have a trio of best friends–although one is also my boyfriend–who share my love of Quidditch, I am now confident in my position as Seeker and I am now at ease, all the drama has faded away. I watch as my current boyfriend firmly shakes the hand of my ex, the pair exchanging competitive glares and insults under their breaths before returning to their respective teams.

"Good luck." I whisper when Emmett returns to my side and we are instructed to mount our brooms.

"I don't need luck," he says before smiling at me. "I have you."

"That has to be the most feminine thing you have ever said," I laugh, grinning back at him. "It's just plain weird."

"Well that's the last time I pay you a compliment," he rolls his eyes at me. "Just get in your position and try not to lose us the game."

"Have I ever let you down before?" I ask before quickly correcting myself. "Except for our first match, but that was also your fault so I can't really be held accountable."

Before we can return to the argument of whose fault it was that we lost our first match against Gryffindor, a noise blares through the pitch and the game begins. I immediately shoot off into the air away from the mess of Chasers and Beaters struggling to throw other players off their game and score some points in the process. I don't need them distracting me–or threatening my life with Bludgers–as I whizz around overhead, searching desperately for that sliver of glistening gold whipping through the air. I can hear Potter racing around just as I do, throwing taunts my way, but they simply go in one ear and out the other as I try to concentrate.

I have to win this. I need to win this.

Just as I reassure myself, the snitch flashes passed the two of us, darting about the stadium chaotically. We immediately shoot after it, following each of its twists and turns with our sharp reflexes. We swerve about the area just as we had done in that first match, our speeds are equal and our skills are matched, leaving us head to head as we rush about. Every time of us creeps closer to the snitch, it swerves away from our grasps and puts us back as the each other's equal.

Everything happens so quickly as we race to and from the pitch, going wherever the snitch goes no matter how far away it takes us from the other places. I can barely register everything that is going on around me, I can barely even think. I just keep my eyes focused on the snitch as the only thing in my mind is the image of Emmett, of us winning, of him smiling.

As the snitch shoots upwards, I charge after it with Emmett's reassurances of my skills and ability to win echoing through my mind alongside his image. Potter is right on my tail, growing closer and closer to overtaking me with every passing moment as I maintain my steady speed. It suddenly darts into the thick layer of cloud above and I pause for a brief second, wondering if I should venture into the layer of fog or wait for the orb to dart back out. But I need to win this. I have to win this so, swallowing me fear, I burst through the layer of cloud.

I shift through the darkness, desperately following each flicker of gold just ahead of me. I can't hear Potter anymore; he is no doubt circling beneath the clouds, ready to grab the snitch as soon as it exits the layer. I have to snatch it up now, if I lose it, he will take it. I have taken a risk and I need it to pay off. I increase my speed as I finally get a clear sight of the snitch, following its every move. I outstretch my arm as I near it, stretching every one of my joints towards the snitch. I can almost feel its smooth surface beneath the buds of my fingers, just a little further, I'm almost there.

"Has it happened?" A voice calls out as I tumble out of the clouds. "It has! Darcy Simmons has caught the snitch! She has the snitch! Ravenclaw wins!"

* * *

><p>"Thank god exams are finally over. I'm done studying for the rest of my life." Jude exclaims as he slings one arm over my shoulders whilst slinging the other over Manny's as we enter the Great Hall for the last feast of the year.<p>

Emmett stands beside me, my hand held tightly by his, our fingers laced together, matching each other perfectly. He wears a small smile on his face as we make our way towards the Ravenclaw table, tucking ourselves into the spot at the end of the table we have claimed as our own. I have stopped sitting at the Gryffindor table, even if my two best friends and my boyfriend are busy, I find members of the Quidditch team and sit amongst them, albeit quietly.

"I can't wait for results," Manny squeals as we take our seats. "I really hope we all did well."

"Well of course you did well, you've studied practically every hour of every day for the last month," Jude states. "And even Darce and Emmett were studying all the time. I on the other hand am screwed, but so long as I don't have to repeat this year, I'm happy."

"I'll never understand why you are in Ravenclaw, Jude," I admit as I settle into my seat next to Emmett, nuzzling into his side as per usual, settling into the dips of his chiselled torso. "You're not remotely studious or witty. It makes no sense."

"I'm secretly brilliant, I'm just incredibly lazy." He replies with a shrug before digging into his meal.

"It's true," Manny adds playfully. "But I'm sure you'll still do well, we all will."

I can't help but smile at Manny's optimistic attitude even though she has no idea how any of us really did on our exams. I hope she is right though, I'd love to do well just as much as I'd love for my friends to do well. But over the last month, Jude mostly spent his time sleeping late and buggering around whilst the rest of us studied–although Emmett and I often to breaks to do more intimate things away from Manny and studying. I'm fairly sure she did the same with Cassair though, sneaking off to be alone with him whenever we took off.

It's shocking that the two are still dating as our seventh year at Hogwarts draws to an end; we all pretty much bet that they would break up within a month or so. We still hate Cassair as much as ever and he actually hates me even more than ever now that he has to spend more time around me. But we've found some mutual ground over Manny's happiness in that we want her to be happy and he makes her happy. Luckily Jude hasn't been so upset that the couple have lasted this long, taking comfort in the fact that they probably won't last after we graduate.

Unlike over her relationship with Cassair, Manny and Jude are _still _giddy over Emmett and me dating. Every time we reach a new milestone in our relationship they practically faint with excitement. It's both hilariously sweet and terribly annoying. But, despite the irritation it may cause, I am happy that my boyfriend and I share our best friends–and are also each other's best friend–as it just makes everything seem more real. I don't have a single doubt that we will last after we graduate as although I am terrified of what adulthood will bring to our relationship, I know the three of us will stay in contact and keep our friendships strong. Or at least try.

"What are you thinking about?" Emmett asks, giving my waist a squeeze as he glances down at me curiously.

"Just about the future," I say with a shrug before grinning mischievously. "And about the result of the Quidditch Cup, I wish they'd announce it already. The wait is killing me."

"I think it's killing all of us." He grins, giving me a gentle brief kiss on the lips before returning to the conversation fluttering between Manny and Jude.

I know he's right, it's all anyone has been talking about apart from our N.E.W.T. exams and expected results. We all know the Quidditch Cup is incredibly close this year. Gryffindor haven't lost many of their matches and have won by quite a lot. We have only lost two that I can remember–our first one and one I was absent from–and have mostly won by a substantial amount. I shake all thoughts of the Quidditch cup result out my head and instead try to focus on the laughter erupting from my three companions as I dig into my own meal.

"So do we have any plans for the summer?" Emmett asks as he steals food from my plate whilst I try to fight him off with my fork, an activity which has become the norm.

"You three are coming to stay at my dad's with me for a few weeks on August," Jude reminds us. "But apart from that, nothing. Mostly just staying up late and sleeping until mid-afternoon for me, maybe I'll find a summer fling if I have the energy."

"Sounds riveting," I mock as I try to eat as much of my food as I can before Emmett can snatch it away.

"Well I'm spending the first month of summer in Ireland with Cass and his family," Manny says with a dreamlike smile as she looks passed us to the Gryffindor table where the git in question must be sitting. "But after that I'm completely free to hang out with you guys. I'd rather not be at home; my family needs all the room it can get."

"You're free to stay at mine for the entire summer," Jude states with a smirk. "I promise I won't try anything."

"You can stay at mine for a bit as well if you want." I add.

"Before you offer as well, Emmy, it's alright," Manny says with a grin. "You and Darce are going to be spending all your time at one another's houses and then at Ju-Ju's house in August. It'd be a bit weird if I was just hanging out, being a third wheel."

"Well Jude can come over to mine or Darcy's as well," Emmett suggests with a smirk. "So you can't be a third wheel in that case."

"You know you could have tried comforting Manny with the fact that we appreciate her being there and so she'll never be a third wheel," I say with a roll of my eyes. "But no, instead you tell her to bring Jude so she won't feel awkward."

"I'm just being honest," he pulls me closer to him, his smirk growing. "After all, we _will_ want some time alone over the holidays."

"Too much information," Jude cries out, shielding his eyes with his hands. "I feel nauseous!"

"I think it's cute," Manny scolds him. "And I know just how they feel, I love being alone with my–"

"If you start talking about Finnigan, I will actually throw up all over you and then go find him and throw up on him as well," He warns. "See this is why I need a fling, she can keep me distracted from all this mushy couple crap."

We continue on like this for some time as we make our way through our plates of food. We joke around, make future plans and occasionally I hit Emmett as he teases me playfully. Time passes by quickly as we chat energetically to one another and before I know it, plates of dessert appear on all the tables replacing that of the main course. Just as we begin to dish up the desserts, Headmistress Quackenbush calls for our attention as her final speech begins.

"I would like to wish our seventh years good luck with their N.E.W.T. results and hope the best for them when they leave us to venture out into the great wide world," she says after a while of rambling through the usual announces and farewells. "Now that we have all the business out of the way, it's time for what all you students have been waiting for; the awarding of the Quidditch Cup and then the House Cup!"

Cheers of excitement erupt through the hall before being hushed into silence by the headmistress. She begins with the usual reminders that every team should be proud of how they performed and learn from their mistakes and their triumphs, how every player should be valued and reflect on their own feats. Finally, just as minds start to wonder away from her words, she gets to the point.

"And so the winner of the Quidditch Cup is," she pauses for effect, her lips curling into a small smile. "The Gryffindor house!"

Roars of celebration echo through the room alongside the groans of disappointment. The Headmistress goes on the award the House Cup, but I tune out by then. I don't care which house gets it, I'm happy with any. But the Quidditch Cup, I feel like I have let my friend down, let Emmett down.

"Hey," I look up to him to find his expression firm. "I'm sorry; I thought we had this in the bag."

He glances down at me as if contemplating over to react before taking my hands in his and smiling gently. My heart immediately relaxes, thankful that he doesn't seem to be angry with me for what happened.

"Don't apologise, it would have been nice to have won the cup instead of Potter, but it doesn't matter." He assures me whilst drawing me towards him.

"Why's that?" I ask in almost a whisper as our lips are millimetres apart.

I don't even care about the embarrassment of this public display of affection, it's my last day of school and I won't see any of the people around me ever again. Well apart from Jude and Manny, but they are already aware of my closet affectionate behaviour with Emmett–although they still embarrass me over it.

"Because I won something even better than that cup," he replies in an alluring tone.

"Are you saying I'm a possession or a prize to be won between you and Potter?" I say with fake irritation.

"No, well, actually maybe a little bit. But what I'm really saying is," he closes the gap between us, his sweet scent flooding through my nostrils, sending butterflies fluttering within me. "I love you, Darcy."

"I-I-I," I suddenly realise Jude and Manny are watching, but swallow my embarrassment and respond. "I never thought we'd say this for the first time in front of those two."

"Just say it, I know you feel it." He replies impatiently.

"Maybe I don't want to anymore," I state stubbornly before noticing his irked stare and conceding defeat. "Okay, I'll say it back if you let me how much you value me as your Seeker, seeing as you want to keep me off the team in the first place."

"Fine," he agrees after a pause. "You're an amazing Seeker; I was a fool to want you off the team. In fact, if I could award you a title to show you how much you mean to me, I'd name you my Golden Seeker."

"That's cute," I tease. "I guess if you're willing to make up and say something like that in public, I'll embarrass myself for you too. So here goes; I love you too, Emmett."

"Thank you," he whispers before kissing me deeply. "That's my Golden Seeker."

* * *

><p><em><strong>THE END<strong>_


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